A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government operations, from transport use to discussions habits.
