An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement comes as 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 switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to communication practices.
