An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
