🔗 Share this article

An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.

Security Guidance for Defence Staff

During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.

He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.

We have a fleet of thousands of cars 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 people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.

After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”

Broader Defence Background

The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.

Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.

The broader security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.