A defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
