A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from transport usage to communication practices.
