An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
