Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Examining Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, with Personnel Told to Avoid Secret Talk in Vehicles.

A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.

Security Guidance for Defence Personnel

During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.

He explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.

Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.

However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.

When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”

Wider Defence Context

This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.

Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.

The broader security environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.