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A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.

Security Advice for Defence Staff

In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.

He explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.

Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.

However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.

When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”

Wider Defence Context

The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.

Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.

This broader security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of official operations, from transport use to discussions habits.