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An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.

Security Advice for Defence Personnel

During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.

The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in all modern cars.

We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent 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 staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.

After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”

Wider Security Background

This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.

Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.

This broader defence situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.