US Tells 35 Allies to Choose Between American and Chinese AI Alliances in Pax Silica Ultimatum

A draft State Department letter, prepared for the 35 signatories of the June "AI Opportunity Statement" and reviewed by Reuters, warns that continued membership in the US-led Pax Silica coalition cannot be combined with participation in China's rival World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, which Xi Jinping launched in July 12. Pax Silica, launched by Washington last year to secure supply chains for AI models, semiconductors and critical minerals amid the rivalry with Beijing, is described in the letter as "not merely a membership subscription, but a commitment" 1. The letter states "to be part of everything is to be part of nothing" and that Pax Silica membership "cannot be held alongside membership in duplicative initiatives whose expectations conflict with our own," without naming China directly 1. About two dozen countries have joined Pax Silica, including Japan, Australia and South Korea, while Kazakhstan, which holds significant critical mineral reserves, is the only country known to have joined both frameworks, prompting a US official to call it a test case for enforcement 13. China's embassy in Washington said such actions "will only stifle global AI advances and serve no one's interests," and the State Department declined to comment on the leaked draft, whose sending date remains undetermined 12.