A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, from transport use to communication habits.
