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A defence official has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.

Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel

During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.

The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.

Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.

However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.

After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”

Wider Security Context

This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.

Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.

This wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government activities, including transport usage to communication practices.