An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
