An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including transport use to communication practices.
