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A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.

Safety Advice for Defence Staff

In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.

The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.

Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.

But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.

After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”

Broader Security Background

This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.

Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.

The wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, including transport use to discussions practices.