In a top-secret gathering, senior officials from about two dozen major intelligence agencies from around the world met in Singapore over the weekend for the Shangri-La Dialogue security meeting.
The Singapore government has been carefully organizing such meetings at a separate venue alongside the security summit for years, but their presence has never been reported.
Among the countries represented at the meeting was the United States, with Director of National Intelligence Everel Haynes leading the American intelligence community.
China, despite tensions with the United States, was also present with other participating countries. India’s Research and Analysis Wing, represented by Sumant Goyal, head of the overseas intelligence-gathering agency, confirmed its participation.
A person familiar with the talks described the meeting as an important fact on the international shadow agenda. Although it does not focus primarily on tradecraft, the gathering serves as a means to foster a deeper understanding of intentions and bottom lines among participating countries.
The sources stressed that intelligence services often engage in dialogue when formal and open diplomacy becomes difficult, underscoring the important role of the meeting at times of heightened tensions. The event in Singapore plays an important role in promoting this type of communication.
All five sources who shared information about the secret meeting chose to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the subject. A spokesman for Singapore’s Ministry of Defense acknowledged that while attending the Shangri-La Dialogue, participants, including senior officials from intelligence agencies, take advantage of the opportunity to meet with their counterparts.
The ministry added that it facilitates some of these bilateral or multilateral meetings, which have proved beneficial for the participants.
The US embassy in Singapore said it had no knowledge of the meeting, while the Chinese and Indian governments did not respond to requests for comment at the time of reporting.