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A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.

Safety Advice for MoD Staff

During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.

The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.

Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.

However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.

When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”

Broader Security Context

The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.

Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.

This broader defence situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.