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An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.

Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel

During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made cars.

He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in every modern cars.

We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.

But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.

After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”

Broader Security Context

This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.

Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.

This wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from transport usage to communication practices.