The U.S. State Department has drafted a letter to 35 nations that signed a joint statement on AI capabilities in June, warning that participation in a competing initiative could exclude them from the Pax Silica coalition. This information was reported by Reuters based on a government source and the draft document's contents.
Pax Silica, introduced in December 2025 by Deputy Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg, is described as a cross-sector alliance focused on critical raw materials, energy, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, and AI infrastructure.
At the Washington summit in June, 24 countries, including Japan, Australia, South Korea, the UK, Israel, India, the UAE, and the European Union, signed the declaration. Italy joined the coalition in August.
In response, China established a similar organization. On July 16, 29 countries, including Russia, Belarus, Serbia, Brazil, Pakistan, Indonesia, and several African nations, signed an agreement to launch the Global Organization for AI Cooperation, headquartered in Shanghai. Notably, no country from the G7 has joined this initiative.
"Being part of everything means being part of nothing. Signing the Pax Silica Declaration is not a formality, but a commitment," the document states.
The authors urged partners to make a “conscious choice” and emphasized that membership in Pax Silica is incompatible with participation in projects that contradict U.S. objectives. Although Beijing is not explicitly named in the document, a Reuters source indicated that involvement in China's competing AI project is inconsistent with a partner's reputation within the Pax Silica technological framework.
Reuters could not ascertain the timeline for sending the letter or if it would undergo final revisions, as only an undated draft was available to journalists. The State Department declined to comment on inquiries, stating they do not discuss alleged leaks of official information.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington stated that China opposes the politicization of trade and technology issues, labeling such actions as hindering AI development.
Kazakhstan Straddles Both Coalitions
Kazakhstan is the only known country to be part of both coalitions. It joined Pax Silica in June, with Helberg highlighting its rare earth metal reserves, Trans-Caspian transit potential, and the republic's focus on economic modernization.
At that time, the parties announced the creation of an economic security zone in the country. However, a month later, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev participated in a Shanghai conference where WAICO was formalized. This “dual approach” has raised concerns in Washington, as noted by Reuters.
The broader context is characterized by the rapid development of technology: Chinese open-weight models are quickly narrowing the gap with proprietary systems from OpenAI and Anthropic, while Beijing increasingly considers restricting access to its best developments outside its borders.
It is worth noting that in July, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission banned the import of new Chinese robots and power inverters, citing the need to protect supply chains for the AI industry.