Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Investigating Security Risk from Chinese Cars, with Staff Advised to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
