An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
