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A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.

Safety Advice for MoD Personnel

During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.

The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in every modern cars.

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

But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.

After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”

Broader Defence Background

This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.

Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.

The wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.