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An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.

Safety Advice for MoD Personnel

In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.

He stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.

Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.

But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.

After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”

Broader Security Background

This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.

Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.

The wider security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.