A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, from transport use to discussions habits.