An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
