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An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.

Safety Guidance for Defence Staff

In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.

The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.

Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.

However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.

After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”

Wider Security Context

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

Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.

This broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, from transport usage to communication practices.