🔗 Share this article

An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing secret matters in all vehicles.

Safety Advice for MoD Personnel

During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.

He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.

We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.

However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.

When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”

Wider Security Background

The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.

Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.

The wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including transport use to discussions habits.