Government Official States MoD Examining Security Risk from Chinese Cars, with Personnel Advised to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Cars.
An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones 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 car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader defence situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, from transport use to communication habits.
