An defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
