A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent 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 Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, from transport use to discussions practices.
