An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.