An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
