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An defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.

Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel

During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.

The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern cars.

Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.

But whether you’re driving 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 conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.

When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”

Broader Defence Context

The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.

Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.

The wider defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including transport use to discussions practices.