An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official activities, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
