A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official activities, from transport usage to communication habits.
