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A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.

Safety Advice for MoD Personnel

In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.

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

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

But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.

When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”

Broader Defence Background

The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.

Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.

The wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.