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An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.

Safety Guidance for MoD Staff

During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.

He explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in all modern cars.

Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.

However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.

When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”

Wider Security Background

The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.

Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.

This broader defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.