An defense official has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including transport usage to communication habits.
