Draft US Letter Tells 35 Partners to Pick an AI Coalition

United States · GEOPOLITICS Key Facts —Draft State Department letter: Reuters reported on 14 August 2026 that it reviewed an undated State Department draft letter. The unsent draft tells 35 partner countries to pick one artificial intelligence (AI) grouping. —Exclusion threat: The draft says countries joining a rival g

Washington last year launched the Pax Silica initiative aimed at securing supply chains for AI models, semiconductors and critical minerals, amid a fierce technology rivalry with Beijing.

The US hopes to starve China of resources in a race to make the most sophisticated AI.

'Signature of the Pax Silica Declaration is not merely a membership subscription, but a commitment,' a leaked draft letter from the US State Department says, urging countries to 'choose deliberately' on AI

The race between the US and China for technological leadership has reached a pivotal moment, as Chinese open-weight AI models have made rapid gains against proprietary systems from US companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic.

"Signature of the Pax Silica Declaration is not merely a membership subscription, but a commitment," the draft letter says, referring to the United States-led AI coalition launched last year.

Washington is warning other nations they will be excluded from a U.S.-led coalition if ​they also sign up for Beijing's competing framework.

EXCLUSIVE: US to tell partners they must pick sides in AI race with China  Reuters

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