Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Investigating Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, with Staff Advised to Refrain from Secret Talk in Cars.
A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
