Government Official Says MoD Investigating Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, with Personnel Told to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Cars.
A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
