Government Official States Ministry of Defence Investigating Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, as Personnel Advised to Avoid Secret Talk in Cars.
An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security environment highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
