Senior officials from approximately 24 major intelligence agencies around the world recently convened in a covert meeting during the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, according to five anonymous sources who spoke with Reuters.
These meetings, organized by the Singapore government, have been discreetly held at a separate location alongside the security summit for several years, but they have never been reported before.
The participants
The United States was represented by Avril Haines, the Director of National Intelligence, who heads the country’s intelligence community. Chinese officials were also present at the meeting. The head of India’s Research and Analysis Wing, Samant Goel, was among the attendees, as confirmed by an Indian source.
US-China tensions
Tensions between the United States and China took center stage at the prestigious Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s top security forum. Despite the event being dubbed a “dialogue,” the defense officials from both countries found themselves engaged in a standoff. Recent incidents in the region, including an aggressive encounter between a Chinese fighter jet and a U.S. aircraft in the South China Sea, set the stage for the contentious atmosphere.
During the conference, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called on his Chinese counterparts to establish open lines of communication with the United States. However, no bilateral meeting took place between Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu, despite their shared presence at the event. They had an uncomfortable handshake at Friday night’s dinner, which Austin later dismissed as insufficient for meaningful engagement.
“The meeting is an important fixture on the international shadow agenda. Given the range of countries involved, it is not a festival of tradecraft, but rather a way of promoting a deeper understanding of intentions and bottom lines. There is an unspoken code among intelligence services that they can talk when more formal and open diplomacy is harder – it is a very important factor during times of tension, and the Singapore event helps promote that,” a source familiar with the discussions told media.
In response to inquiries, a spokesperson for the Singapore Ministry of Defence stated that participants in the Shangri-La Dialogue, including senior officials from intelligence agencies, often utilize the opportunity to meet their counterparts. The ministry facilitates some of these bilateral or multilateral meetings, which have proven beneficial, according to the spokesperson.
The U.S. Embassy in Singapore claimed to have no knowledge of the meeting, while the Chinese and Indian governments did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Five Eyes network
The Five Eyes network, consisting of the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, regularly collaborate in intelligence gathering and sharing. However, larger meetings of the intelligence community are rare and typically undisclosed to the public.
Although specific details regarding the discussions in Singapore are scarce, the sources revealed that topics such as Russia’s war in Ukraine and transnational crime were addressed during the talks on Friday. An informal gathering of the intelligence chiefs was also held on Thursday evening.
No Russian representation
Notably, no representative from Russia was present at the meeting, as confirmed by one of the sources. Volodymr V. Havrylov, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister, attended the Shangri-La Dialogue but did not participate in the intelligence meeting.
According to another source, the overall tone of the meeting was cooperative and collaborative, rather than confrontational.