An defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
