A total of seven officials in four capitals revealed the extent of the heightened cooperation. The sharing of information took place within the Five Eyes alliance. It appears to highlight a growing front against Chinese operations and investments.
The Five Eyes, often abbreviated as FVEY, is an anglophone intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
These countries are parties to the multilateral UKUSA Agreement, a treaty for joint cooperation in signals intelligence.
“Like-minded” countries such as Japan and Germany also are also cooperating with the espionage group, according to reports.
A US official said: “Consultations with our allies, with like-minded partners, on how to respond to China’s assertive international strategy have been frequent and are gathering momentum.
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“What might have started as ad hoc discussions are now leading to more detailed consultations on best practices and further opportunities for cooperation.”
While China has been the main focus, discussions have also touched on Russia, several officials said.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.
They explained the enhanced cooperation amounted to an informal expansion of the Five Eyes group on the specific issue of foreign interference.
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China, faced with a growing backlash from Washington, Canberra and other capitals, has rejected accusations that it is seeking to influence foreign governments and that its investments are politically driven.
The Five Eyes network cooperation implies, despite US President Donald Trump saying he is willing to confront China alone, members of his administration are working hard behind the scenes to put together an informal coalition to counter Beijing.
An insider from a Five Eyes country, who has travelled extensively to other capitals over the past year to discuss China’s foreign activities, said: “We are living in a new world.
“The sudden shock from authoritarian regimes is prompting closer coordination and a real expansion of intelligence sharing.”
The news follows the arrest last week of the chief financial officer of Chines technology firm Huawei Meng Wanzhou.
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After the arrest global stock markets crashed amid increased US-China tensions.
Both Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had been at odds over a trade tariff war before Trump announced they had reached an agreement to halt the ongoing trade spat temporarily.
On Wednesday, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland confirmed a second national could be facing trouble in China after the detainment of Canadian diplomat on leave Michael Kovrig in Beijing earlier this week, although she said that Chinese authorities “have not described the situation as being a reprisal”, and that Canada’s relationship with China remains important.
She said: “For Canada, it is important to try to maintain relations with China.
“And it’s important for us to continue to speak with China and to work with China, and that is how it will be possible to resolve difficulties in the end.
“Canada will do everything in its power.”