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A defence official has stated that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.

Safety Guidance for MoD Staff

During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.

He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern cars.

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

However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.

After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”

Wider Security Background

The announcement follows claims 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 transport systems.

Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.

The wider security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.