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An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.

Safety Advice for Defence Staff

During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.

He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in all modern cars.

Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.

But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.

When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”

Broader Security Context

This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.

Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.

This wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.