A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
