A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
