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A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid discussing classified information in all vehicles.

Safety Advice for Defence Personnel

During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.

He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.

We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.

But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.

When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”

Wider Defence Background

The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.

Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.

This wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official activities, from transport usage to communication practices.