Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Examining Security Risk from Chinese Cars, as Personnel Advised to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
