The U.S. is preparing to warn dozens of countries that joining China's rival AI framework will exclude them from Washington's own coalition, according to a U.S. official and an internal draft reviewed by Reuters. A State Department letter, still undated, tells signatories of a U.S. "AI Opportunity Statement" they cannot sit in both technology camps at once.
Washington drafts a letter
The State Department prepared a draft letter addressed to the 35 signatories of the U.S. "AI Opportunity Statement," signed in June. The letter targets members of the non-binding Pax Silica framework, which Washington launched last year to secure supply chains for AI models, semiconductors and critical minerals.
According to Reuters: the letter states, "To be part of everything is to be part of nothing", urging countries to choose deliberately rather than hold overlapping memberships. It adds that Pax Silica membership cannot coexist with membership in a duplicative initiative whose expectations conflict with Washington's, without naming China directly.
Kazakhstan sits in both camps
About two dozen countries have joined Pax Silica, including close U.S. allies Japan, Australia and South Korea, alongside Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is so far the only country known to have joined both initiatives, a dual membership that has set off alarm bells in Washington.
In July, Chinese President Xi Jinping launched a competing "World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization," promoting the country's open-weight technology as a challenge to U.S. influence over the sector. By pushing countries to pick a side, the U.S. hopes to starve China of resources in the race to build the most advanced AI systems.
The State Department declined to comment on the leaked internal draft, and Reuters could not determine when the letter might be sent or whether it will be amended first. China's embassy in Washington said it opposes politicizing trade and technology, warning such steps would only hinder global AI progress and serve no one. The Kazakh embassy did not respond to a request for comment.
Rivalry deepens over chips and minerals
The contest has reached a pivotal moment as Chinese open-weight AI models have made rapid gains against proprietary systems from OpenAI and Anthropic, while Beijing weighs restrictions on overseas access to some of its leading models. China has also used its near-monopoly over critical minerals as leverage in a tariff war Trump launched last year, prompting Washington to push allies toward sourcing minerals domestically or from partners instead.
A U.S. official told Reuters the letter is meant to make clear that countries cannot hold both memberships, speaking on condition of anonymity given ongoing internal discussions.
Source: CNBC
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