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

Safety Advice for Defence Staff

In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.

The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in every modern cars.

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

However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.

After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”

Wider Security Context

This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.

Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.

The wider security situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of official activities, from transport usage to discussions habits.