A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
