An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, from transport usage to discussions habits.
