A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
