SINGAPORE: On 7 August 2025, Chinese Ambassador to Singapore Cao Zhongming met with Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, K Shanmugam, as revealed in a Facebook post by the ambassador.
The meeting appeared to take place at the Ministry of Home Affairs office, where the two officials engaged in what Cao described as “in-depth exchanges” on bilateral relations and cooperation in law enforcement and security matters.
Cao noted that the occasion of the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Singapore provided a timely opportunity to deepen practical collaboration in various fields.
He also expressed hope for continued progress in developing a “high-quality future-oriented partnership” between the two nations.
Shanmugam earlier said naming country behind UNC3886 cyber threat not in Singapore’s interest for now
On 18 July, Shanmugam publicly identified UNC3886 as a “highly sophisticated threat actor” targeting Singapore’s systems.
According to cybersecurity firm Mandiant, owned by Google, UNC3886 is a “China-nexus espionage group”.
The firm has previously attributed operations by UNC3886 to broader cyber activities allegedly connected to the Chinese state.
However, in response to media queries on 1 August regarding possible Chinese links to UNC3886, Shanmugam declined to name any country.
He stated, “We always think about it very carefully when it comes to naming any country responsible for a cyberattack.”
He emphasised that while experts and media have drawn their own conclusions, the Singapore Government does not comment on such attributions.
“Media coverage and industry experts all attribute UNC3886 to some country. Government does not comment on this,” Shanmugam said.
He added, “We release information that we assess is in the public interest. Naming a specific country is not in our interest at this point in time.”
When asked about potential consequences of publicly attributing UNC3886 to a specific nation, Shanmugam on 19 July described such speculation as unhelpful.
He maintained the Government’s position of caution, stating that further details could compromise national security.
“What Mandiant does is what Mandiant does. As far as the Singapore Government is concerned, we can say we are confident that it is this particular organisation. Who they are linked to, and how they operate, is not something I want to go into,” he said.
China rebukes Singapore media over reports linking cyber group UNC3886 to Beijing
In response to the controversy, the Chinese Embassy in Singapore issued a statement on 19 July rejecting the allegations and expressing “strong dissatisfaction”.
It labelled the accusations as “groundless smears” and asserted that “China is a major victim of cyberattacks”.
The embassy added, “China is firmly against and cracks down on all forms of cyberattacks in accordance with law. China does not encourage, support or condone hacking activities.”
On 5 August, another rebuttal was published by Song Chao, First Secretary of the Chinese Embassy.
In a letter to the Straits Times, Song criticised an opinion piece by Deputy Editor Bhavan Jaipragas, which referenced findings by Mandiant and US government sources.
Song accused the commentary of harbouring “preconceived bias” and called for greater journalistic objectivity.
The embassy further invited Singaporean authorities to share any “concrete evidence” linking China to UNC3886 via official diplomatic or legal avenues. It assured that any such evidence would be examined and addressed in accordance with Chinese law.
Citing a 3 April 2025 report, it noted over 270,000 cyberattacks on the Harbin Asian Winter Games, with most traced to the United States and Singapore, to show China is also a victim of cyber threats.
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