An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of government activities, from transport usage to discussions practices.