Government Official Says MoD Investigating Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, as Staff Told to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Cars.
An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, from vehicle use to communication practices.