A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
