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An defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.

Safety Guidance for Defence Staff

In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.

He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.

We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.

However regardless of if you’re driving 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 discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.

When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”

Wider Defence Background

The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.

Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.

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