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A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing classified information in any vehicles.

Security Advice for Defence Personnel

In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.

He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.

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

But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.

When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”

Wider Security Context

The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.

Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.

The broader security situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government operations, including transport usage to discussions habits.