Chinese spies on wheels will not enter Polish bases. This is an order from the General Staff

The Chief of the General Staff, General Wiesław Kukuła, decided to introduce a ban on the entry of vehicles manufactured in China into protected military facilities – informs the General Staff of the Polish Army. The ban is related to, among others, with concerns about the security of the data that is collected by these vehicles.

Information that the military planned to introduce such a ban appeared in mid-January; as indicated then, the subject of interest includes, among others, services is the issue of security of data collected by modern cars manufactured in the People's Republic of China.

The ban was announced on Tuesday by the spokesman of the General Staff of the Polish Army, Col. Marek Pietrzak. “As a result of the risk analysis carried out related to the increasing integration of digital systems in vehicles and the potential possibility of uncontrolled acquisition and use of data by these systems, the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army decided to introduce a ban on the entry of motor vehicles manufactured in the People's Republic of China into the areas of protected military facilities” – we read in the spokesman's statement.

As emphasized, the ban aims to strengthen the protection of critical military infrastructure and minimize potential threats related to, among others, with the possibility of leakage of sensitive data.

Not only brands from China – restrictions for registrars

Moreover, other vehicles will also be subject to restrictions “equipped with integral or additional devices enabling position, image or sound recordingThey will be able to enter the premises of military units only if certain functions are disabled and “by applying appropriate preventive measures resulting from the facility protection rules.”

Unit commanders will have to – whenever possible – ensure the organization of safe parking spaces outside the protected unit area, where vehicle owners will be able to park their vehicles.

Exceptions to the ban: hospitals and emergency services

The restrictions introduced by the order of the General Staff of the Polish Army will not apply to publicly accessible military facilities – e.g. hospitals, nor will they apply to vehicles belonging to the army or other services, e.g. when conducting rescue operations on the unit's premises.

SGWP also informs that the Chief of Staff has submitted a request to his superiors from the Ministry of Defense to take action to create legal and technical conditions that will enable manufacturers of vehicles equipped with advanced systems for monitoring the condition of the vehicle and its surroundings to obtain approval in the field of information security.

The aim of this action is to introduce transparent and non-discriminatory mechanisms for verifying the safety of vehicles offered on the Polish market, taking into account the requirements for the protection of sensitive infrastructure – it was indicated.

The actions taken by the General Staff are related to the issue of security of information collected by – but not only – vehicles manufactured in China. Modern cars have a number of various types of sensors and cameras collecting data about the car's location or its immediate surroundings. In the wrong hands, such data could be used, for example, to create maps of units, monitor their surroundings or track soldiers.

The expansion of “smart cars”

At the Ministry of Interior and Administration, PAP found that a similar ban was introduced by the State Protection Service.

The police are currently analyzing whether a ban on the entry of Chinese cars should be introduced. And if so, to what extent – submitted.

At the end of last year, the Center for Eastern Studies published a report in which it was emphasized that the expansion of the so-called smart cars from Chinese manufacturers raise national security concerns. These are modern cars with an integrated computer system managing all vehicle functions.

The author of the report, Paulina Uznańska, pointed out that although all car companies are trying to develop and implement these technologies, the People's Republic of China (PRC) is currently becoming the global leader in this area. The share of Chinese passenger vehicles in sales in Poland reached approximately 7%. after the first nine months of 2025, and in October alone it exceeded 10%.

According to OSW analysts, the data collected by these vehicles – e.g. while driving near critical infrastructure facilities or military units – may be very valuable to the intelligence services of unfriendly countries; they also warned against the possible use of cars to carry out terrorist acts remotely.

According to data from the Automotive Market Research Institute SAMAR, in December 2025, 9,821 new Chinese cars were registered in Poland, i.e. 427 percent. more than in December 2024. In total, models of Chinese brands accounted for 14.5 percent in December. all newly registered passenger cars in Poland. Throughout last year, 49,000 buyers were found on the Polish market. 161 Chinese cars.

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