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An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret information in all cars.

Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel

In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.

The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.

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

But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.

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

Wider Security Background

The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.

Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.

The wider security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.