An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
