The US is preparing to ask 35 countries to choose between its Pax Silica AI framework and a China-led rival, raising the stakes in the global technology race.

The United States is preparing to pressure 35 countries to choose between Washington’s AI partnership framework and a competing China-led initiative, according to a US official and a draft State Department letter reviewed by Reuters.

The proposed message would warn countries that joining China’s rival framework could make them ineligible for the US-led Pax Silica coalition. The move marks a sharper phase in the US-China competition over artificial intelligence, semiconductors and the critical minerals needed to build advanced technology.

Washington launched Pax Silica to strengthen supply chains covering AI systems, semiconductor production and critical minerals. Around two dozen countries have joined the initiative, including Japan, Australia, South Korea and Kazakhstan.

Washington Draws Red Line

The draft letter reportedly tells countries that membership of Pax Silica represents a strategic commitment rather than simply participation in another international forum.

The document urges governments to “choose deliberately” and says participation in competing initiatives with conflicting expectations would not be compatible with Pax Silica membership. Reuters could not establish when Washington would send the letter or whether officials might change its wording before release.

The State Department declined to comment on what it described as purportedly leaked internal documents.

China Builds Rival Framework

Beijing has been developing its own international AI cooperation structure as competition with Washington intensifies.

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the creation of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization during the World AI Conference in Shanghai in July. Twenty-nine countries signed an agreement to establish the new intergovernmental body.

China has presented the organisation as a platform for international cooperation and broader access to AI technology. Xi has also promoted cooperation with developing countries through AI training and proposed cooperation centres involving BRICS, ASEAN, Latin American and African countries.

Kazakhstan Creates Dilemma

Kazakhstan has emerged as a particular concern for Washington because it is known to have joined both frameworks.

The Central Asian country became the first from its region to join Pax Silica and also joined China’s AI cooperation initiative. Its position illustrates the difficulty Washington faces in persuading countries to choose one technology ecosystem.

Kazakhstan also possesses significant reserves of critical minerals that are important for advanced manufacturing and technology.

Critical Minerals Raise Stakes

The US effort goes beyond AI software.

Pax Silica seeks to build more secure supply chains covering semiconductors, critical minerals, advanced manufacturing and energy. Washington wants partner countries to reduce dependence on supply chains controlled by strategic competitors.

China dominates processing of several critical minerals and has previously used export controls as leverage during trade tensions with the US.

That makes countries with mineral resources strategically valuable to both Washington and Beijing.

US Wants Trusted Ecosystem

Pax Silica is intended to encourage members to coordinate investment, supply-chain security and selected export-control policies.

The framework also seeks cooperation across different layers of the technology industry, from AI models and computing infrastructure to semiconductors, manufacturing and mineral processing.

The US sees stronger alignment among partner countries as a way to protect access to the resources and technologies required for advanced AI development.

For Washington, preventing strategic resources from flowing towards a rival technology ecosystem has become part of the broader national-security competition with Beijing.

China Rejects Politicisation

Beijing has criticised efforts to divide the global technology sector into competing blocs.

A Chinese embassy spokesperson in Washington said politicising trade and technology issues would restrict global AI development and benefit no country. The criticism reflects Beijing’s argument that AI cooperation should remain open rather than becoming an extension of geopolitical rivalry.

China is simultaneously promoting open-weight AI models and wider international access to AI technologies.

Global AI Race Intensifies

The US-China contest is increasingly extending beyond individual technology companies.

American firms such as OpenAI and Anthropic remain major players in advanced AI, while Chinese companies have made rapid progress with open-weight models. Beijing is also trying to build influence among developing countries by offering technology, training and infrastructure.

The competing approaches could leave countries such as India, Kazakhstan and others facing difficult strategic choices as they seek access to both Western and Chinese technologies.

Countries Face Strategic Choice

The proposed US letter signals that Washington may no longer accept countries participating simultaneously in competing AI frameworks. For the AI race with China, that could turn technology partnerships into a larger geopolitical test, particularly for countries seeking investment, critical minerals, computing capacity and access to advanced models from both sides.