An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
