An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue 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 whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
