On Monday, January 19, 2026, Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, addressed media reports during a regular briefing regarding plans by the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces (SG WP) to ban electric vehicles from entering military units for security reasons.
Electric vehicles of China’s largest brand, BYD / Illustrative photo: EEYAUT Waihung via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
On Friday, January 16, 2026, Polish Radio 24 learned that the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces is preparing new regulations that will introduce a ban on private, Chinese-made electric vehicles entering military units and institutions, as well as adjacent parking areas. Once these regulations are finalized, which is expected to happen soon, the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, Gen. Wiesław Kukuła, will sign a decision bringing the provisions into force immediately.
The decision is reportedly the result of analyses and recommendations by the intelligence services, which concluded that sensors installed in such vehicles, such as cameras and LIDAR systems (radar sensors using laser imaging technology), collect visual and audio data from their surroundings, while GPS transmitters gather precise location information.
According to a report by the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) dated December 17, 2025, titled Smartphones on Wheels: Intelligent Cars from China and Europe’s Cybersecurity, vehicles from the People’s Republic of China may, as a result, be capable of creating three-dimensional maps of military bases and infrastructure and tracking troop movements. They may also enable remote takeover of vehicle control, which in turn poses the risk of blocking roads.
Today, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to these reports. During a press briefing, a journalist from the Polish Press Agency (PAP) asked the spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, about the matter:
PAP: “Polish media have reported that the Polish military is considering introducing a ban on Chinese electric vehicles entering military bases, citing the risk of collecting sensitive data. What is China’s comment on this matter?”
Guo Jiakun: “We have taken note of the relevant reports. China has always believed that the concept of national security should not be overstretched.”
The response from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs can be summarized as Beijing distancing itself from any insinuations, despite serious concerns on this issue in many countries.
In 2025, Israel introduced a ban on leasing Chinese electric vehicles by officers of the Israel Defense Forces and immediately withdrew those already in use, also for security reasons.
Interestingly, China has applied similar restrictions to vehicles of the American brand Tesla since 2021 (the ban has been maintained despite positive recommendations for the private sector following audits conducted in 2024).