A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
