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An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.

Safety Guidance for MoD Staff

During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.

The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.

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

But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.

When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”

Wider Defence Context

The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.

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

This wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of official activities, including transport use to communication habits.