A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret information in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
