A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether 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 conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
