Government Official Confirms Ministry of Defence Investigating Security Risk from Chinese Cars, as Personnel Told to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.

An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.

Safety Advice for Defence Staff

During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made cars.

He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern cars.

Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.

But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.

When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”

Wider Security Context

This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.

Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.

This broader security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.