An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official operations, from transport use to communication practices.
