A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, from transport usage to discussions habits.
