🔗 Share this article

An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in any vehicles.

Safety Advice for MoD Staff

During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.

He explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.

We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.

But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.

After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”

Broader Security Background

The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.

Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.

The wider security situation underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including transport use to discussions habits.