An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, from transport use to discussions practices.
