An defence official has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of official operations, from transport use to discussions habits.
