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An defense official has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.

Safety Advice for MoD Staff

During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.

The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern cars.

Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.

However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.

When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”

Wider Security Background

The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.

Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.

This broader security environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of official activities, from transport usage to communication habits.