An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
