A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
