An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But 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 MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
