A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official activities, including transport usage to communication habits.
