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A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in all vehicles.

Security Guidance for Defence Personnel

During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.

The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.

We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.

However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.

After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”

Wider Security Context

The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.

Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.

The broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, from transport usage to communication habits.