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A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.

Safety Guidance for Defence Staff

In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.

He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.

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

However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.

When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”

Wider Security Context

This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.

Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.

This broader security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.