An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom 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 Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
