Government Official States MoD Examining Security Risk from Chinese Cars, as Personnel Instructed to Refrain from Secret Talk in Vehicles.

An defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.

Safety Guidance for Defence Staff

In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.

The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.

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

However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.

After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”

Wider Defence Background

This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.

Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.

The broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, from vehicle usage to communication habits.