Commuters board buses on London Bridge in London, UK, on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. Photo: VCG

The Guardian's Sunday report claimed that UK transport and cyber-security authorities have launched an investigation into Chinese-made buses, citing concerns over "whether hundreds of Chinese-made buses can be controlled remotely by their manufacturer" as the official rationale.

Chinese experts and market watchers on Sunday described the move as a groundless, protectionist exercise in rehashing funny claims, arguing that it serves little practical purpose and does nothing to genuinely support the development of local industries. They also noted that, from a commercial perspective, Chinese companies have neither the incentive nor the necessity to engage in such actions.

The UK is to investigate whether hundreds of Chinese-made buses can be controlled remotely by their manufacturer, amid increasing concerns over China's involvement in British infrastructure, the Guardian's report said.

The report said the Department for Transport and the National Cyber Security Centre are examining whether buses made by Chinese busmaker Yutong could be vulnerable to interference. 

The report also mentioned a result given by Norway public transporter Ruter, who reported a test of what it described as to assess "the risks associated with electric buses."

The report said Chinese supplier under test has digital access to control systems for software updates and diagnostics, in theory, this could be exploited to affect the bus.

The UK government in November last year also investigated whether hundreds of Chinese-made electric buses on British roads could be remotely deactivated, and assessed whether the world's biggest bus maker has remote access to the vehicles' control systems for software updates and diagnostics, according to the Financial Times.

Chinese experts ridiculed the accusations as absurd attempts to label advanced Chinese bus technology as a security risk, urging the parties involved to respect fair market principles.

Remarks from the UK appear driven more by domestic political considerations and public opinion management than by rigorous technical assessment or industrial logic, Jian Junbo, director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday. "Rather than framing competition through security narratives, he argued that deeper openness and industrial integration would better support long-term development on both sides."

From a technical standpoint, Jian noted that the allegations lack verifiable and independently assessable evidence. If systemic risks genuinely existed, they should be demonstrated through transparent testing, recognized industry standards and professional evaluations, rather than resting on hypothetical or generalized claims. 

Li Guanjie, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies under Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Sunday that the recent flurry of "security risk" signals is largely aimed at shaping public opinion and building policy momentum ahead of potential investigations, replacements and removals of related equipment, creating a sense of social acceptance and what he described as imagined — and ultimately unsubstantiated — "legal justification."

This is not the first time that UK authorities have raised so-called security concerns over Chinese electric vehicles.

Also in November, the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) placed "warning stickers banning military workers from discussing sensitive information" inside its electric vehicles, as so-called concerns that "China could be listening," according to a report by Forces News.

The MOD has leased hundreds of electric vehicles, many of which are MGs from China's state-owned Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, according to the report.

Jian noted that compared with formal trade remedies such as anti-subsidy or anti-dumping probes — which are time-consuming, costly and legally complex — invoking cybersecurity or data risks is a simpler and more politically expedient approach. In essence, he described the move as a form of technical trade barrier disguised as a security concern.

He stressed that Chinese automakers remain in an expansion phase in Europe, including the UK, without holding dominant market positions.

 "At this stage, their priority is to build trust, reputation and market share. As largely private, market-driven firms, they have neither the incentive nor the commercial rationale to engage in actions that would damage their credibility," Jian said.