Publications
The Infrastructure Threat from Chinese Cellular (IoT) Modules (CIMs)
This short paper by Charles Parton aims to be a ready reference on the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) plans to establish a monopoly of the supply of CIMs, crucial components in the Internet of Things (IoT) age.
Charles Parton OBE spent 22 years of his 37-year diplomatic career working in or on China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In 2017, he was chosen as the Foreign Affairs Select Committee’s Special Adviser on China. He is currently a Fellow at Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), and an Associate Fellow in Indo-Pacific Geopolitics at the Council on Geostrategy.
Chinese EV makers should be barred from the UK public contracts over data privacy fears
The Coalition on Secure Technology’s report in conjunction with the China Strategic Risks Institute (CSRI), Collision Course: Under-pricing Chinese EVs risks in the UK has been widely picked up in publications today such as CityAM and the Telegraph.
It warns that the Government should consider banning Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers from securing government contracts over national security and data privacy concerns.
It says suppliers suspected of having ties to China’s military-industrial complex pose a key risk due to the potential for built-in wireless components to be “weaponised”, which could even be used to gridlock British streets.
It comes as the UK government is rapidly procuring EVs for the public sector and confirmed last year that some models used by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had been supplied by MG, which is owned by China’s SAIC Motor.
China: the top 10 priorities for early Labour government action
The paper was authored by the Coalition’s leading China expert, the Senior RUSI fellow Charles Parton and created in partnership with the China Observatory at the Council on Geostrategy. Outlining a list of the top 10 priorities that require immediate government focus, this paper also offers strategic insights for longer term action. Among urgent concerns, it underscores the imminent threat to British national security posed by the presence of Chinese manufactured Cellular Internet of Things (IoT) Modules in Electric Vehicles, detailing three compelling reasons behind this assessment.
Chinese Cellular IoT Modules: Countering the Threat
Chinese Cellular IoT Modules: Countering the Threat explores how Cellular IoT Modules – components at the heart of internet of things technology – are being used by the Chinese state to undermine our security, economy and privacy.
The report outlines how China aims to monopolise the global supply of CIMs, the everyday technologies they are found in, and the strategic advantage they hand the Chinese state.
This report was developed in conjunction with the Council on Geostrategy and was published in March 2024.
Report by Charles Parton.
Charles Parton OBE spent 22 years of his 37-year diplomatic career working in or on China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In 2017, he was chosen as the Foreign Affairs Select Committee’s Special Adviser on China. He is currently a Fellow at Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), and an Associate Fellow in Indo-Pacific Geopolitics at the Council on Geostrategy.
This report sets out the risks associated with the use of Cellular IoT modules whose provenance could be a threat to our security, our prosperity, our privacy and our human rights.