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An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in all vehicles.

Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel

In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.

The minister said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.

We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.

However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.

After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”

Broader Security Background

This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.

Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.

The wider security environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including transport usage to communication habits.