Skip to main content

Polish army bans Chinese vehicles from military premises

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The Polish army has banned Chinese cars from entering military facilities hoping to prevent the collection of sensitive data by technologically advanced automobiles.

Modern vehicles equipped with cutting edge sensors and communication systems are capable of “uncontrolled acquisition and use of data,” the Polish army wrote in a statement justifying the ban. Vehicles are now able to collect video, sound and location and there is a fear that Chinese producers might share some of this potentially sensitive data with their authorities.

All cars capable of recording location, video and sound will be banned from secure military areas unless those functions are switched off, the Polish army said, meaning that the new restrictions do not apply to Chinese products alone.

It is also prohibited to connect official army phones to infotainment systems in any vehicle produced in China.

The measures introduced are preventative, the army said, and are consistent with practices used by other NATO countries.

The army also said it was looking into technical solutions to enable producers of cars with such advanced functions to ask for security clearance, which could potentially be used in the future instead of a blanket ban.

The presence of Chinese vehicles on the Polish market has expanded significantly in the last years, with Chinese models representing over 8% of newly registered cars in Poland last year, according to Warsaw-based market research firm IBRM Samar.

At the same time, the U.S and its European partners have been making efforts to protect sensitive technology and information from foreign snooping, including by China.

Responding to earlier reports that Poland might be preparing such a ban, Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, told reporters in January that China was following the developments and that the abuse of the concept of national security must be stopped.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
Read Next Story