A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.