A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
