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A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.

Security Guidance for Defence Staff

During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.

He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in every modern cars.

We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.

However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.

After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”

Broader Defence Background

The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.

Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.

The broader defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including transport use to discussions habits.