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A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.

Safety Advice for Defence Personnel

In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.

The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.

We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.

However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.

When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”

Wider Defence Context

This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.

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

This broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.