🔗 Share this article

A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in all cars.

Safety Advice for Defence Staff

During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese cars.

He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.

We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.

However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.

After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”

Broader Defence Context

The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.

Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.

The wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.