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An defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.

Security Advice for MoD Staff

In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese cars.

The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern cars.

We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.

However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.

After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”

Wider Defence Background

The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.

Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.

This broader security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.