🔗 Share this article

A defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.

Security Guidance for MoD Staff

In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.

The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.

We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.

But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.

When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”

Wider Security Context

The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.

Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.

This wider security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.