An defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
