An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
