An defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, from transport usage to discussions habits.
