The United States is deepening intelligence cooperation with countries in Asia to counter Beijing’s sophisticated spying apparatus and brutal Chinese cyberattacks. writes Bloomberg.
The Biden administration has developed a set of distinct but overlapping partnerships in Asia, including an intelligence-sharing agreement with the “Quad” group of the United States, India, Japan and Australia, according to U.S. officials who asked not to be identified discussing matters that are not public.
The relationship network also includes trilateral partnerships between the United States, Japan and South Korea, as well as a partnership between the United States, Japan and the Philippines, the officials said.
These new and strengthened partnerships, formally known as intelligence liaison relationships, are aimed in part at curbing the growing power of China’s spying apparatus, which a recent British parliamentary report described as the largest in the world. world. The administration’s effort is part of a broader move to deepen ties across the region amid growing concern over the threat from Beijing.
“Intelligence liaison can serve as an important force multiplier,” said Daniel Byman, a specialist on the subject at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “This can expand the overall collection, as different countries will have access to different secrets in different parts of the world.”
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment on the relationship. A White House spokesperson said U.S. cooperation in the region includes information sharing, but declined to comment on specific relationships.
Japan has deepened security cooperation with like-minded countries in Asia and the Indo-Pacific, particularly in intelligence and information, the Cabinet Secretary for Public Affairs said via email , Noriyuki Shikata.
India’s foreign ministry declined to comment. The governments of South Korea, Australia, the Philippines and Vietnam did not respond to requests for comment.
In a meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara pledged to drastically improve information protection and cybersecurity capabilities with the help American, according to a press release from the Japanese Ministry of Defense.
Obstacles remain, however, not least because of questions about the United States’ ability to keep a secret. In April, the Justice Department charged Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old National Guard airman, with illegally disseminating classified information, including sensitive battlefield data regarding the US invasion of Ukraine. Russia and revelations that the United States had listened to allies such as South Korea.
These partnerships will complement the “Five Eyes” agreement that has long been the cornerstone of U.S. intelligence partnerships. This informal network made up of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand has turned its attention to China in recent years, but its exclusively English-speaking composition limits its reach and relevance in Asia.
Five Eyes countries have shared secret information for decades through intimate networks of officials that permeate their intelligence, defense and foreign ministries. The new spy pacts in Asia are much newer and will likely take time to rival the Five Eyes.
“The dominance of the Five Eyes is pretty established, but when you start working on different issues, you get different priorities,” Byman said. “As we look towards China, countries like Japan and South Korea become more important, alongside Five Eyes partners in the region like Australia and New Zealand. »
