A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication habits.
