A defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
