An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
