A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
