Government Official States MoD Investigating Security Risk from Chinese Cars, with Personnel Instructed to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Cars.
A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government activities, from transport use to discussions practices.
