An defence official has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
