SINGAPORE, June 4 (Reuters) – A guarded gathering of about two dozen senior officials from major intelligence agencies took place on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security meeting in Singapore.
Hosted by the Singaporean government, the meetings have been separate from security summits for years but have not been disclosed until now.
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haynes represented the United States at the meeting and led her country’s intelligence community. China was present along with officials from other countries despite ongoing tensions between the two superpowers. According to an Indian source, Sumant Goyal, head of the Research and Analysis Wing, India’s overseas intelligence-gathering agency, also attended the meeting.
“This meeting is an important fixture on the international shadow agenda,” said a person with knowledge of the talks. “Given the range of countries involved, this is not a tradecraft festival, but a way to develop a deeper understanding of intentions and bottom lines. There is an unspoken code among intelligence services that they can talk. “When there’s more formal and open diplomacy. That’s a very important factor in times of difficulty – tension, and the Singapore event helps promote that.”
Due to the sensitivity of the matter, all five sources who disclosed information about the meetings chose to remain anonymous.
A spokesman for Singapore’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that senior officials from intelligence agencies attend bilateral or multilateral meetings while participating in the Shangri-La Dialogue. “Singapore’s Ministry of Defense may facilitate some of these bilateral or multilateral meetings,” the spokesperson added, noting the benefits to participants from such meetings.
The US embassy in Singapore said it had no information on the meeting, while the Chinese and Indian governments did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand formed the Five Eyes network, an alliance that gathers and shares intelligence on a wide scale. The intelligence officials of these countries meet regularly. Large gatherings of the intelligence community are rarely common.
While details of the talks in Singapore are limited, a person with knowledge of the matter revealed that Russia’s conflict in Ukraine and international crimes were among the topics discussed during Friday’s talks. An informal gathering of intelligence chiefs was also held on Thursday evening.
According to one source, no Russian representative was present, and Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir V. Khurilov confirmed that he did not attend the intelligence meeting.
The tone of the meeting was described by another source as cooperative, collaborative and non-confrontational.
Meanwhile, at the main Shangri-La Dialogue Security Summit, more than 600 delegates from 49 countries participated in three days of plenary sessions, closed-door bilateral and multilateral meetings, held at the sprawling Shangri-La Hotel. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu, and counterparts from the UK, Japan, Canada, Indonesia and South Korea delivered keynote addresses.
Avril Haines, as part of the official US delegation, attended the Shangri-La Dialogue. During the discussion on cybersecurity, he stressed the importance of cooperation between countries, even in the face of mistrust and dealing with adversaries, to manage the potential for escalation.
On Friday, US officials announced that CIA Director William Burns visited China last month for talks with Chinese counterparts, as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to boost ties with Beijing.
