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A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.

Safety Guidance for Defence Staff

In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.

He stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.

Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.

But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.

When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”

Wider Defence Background

This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.

Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.

This wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.