Editorial illustration for US Drafts Letter Forcing Partners to Choose Sides in AI Race
US Forces Allies to Choose Sides in AI Race vs China
US Drafts Letter Forcing Partners to Choose Sides in AI Race
The State Department has drafted a letter telling partner governments they can't hedge on artificial intelligence anymore, according to Reuters, which reviewed the document. The message: pick Washington's coalition or Beijing's, not both.
The stakes go beyond diplomacy. Washington built a coalition called Pax Silica last year to lock down supply chains for AI models, semiconductors, and critical minerals, and roughly two dozen countries plus the EU have already signed on. China countered in July when President Xi Jinping launched the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, positioning Beijing's open-weight AI models as a rival to systems from OpenAI and Anthropic.
Right now, only Kazakhstan straddles both camps. It's a member of the US-led group and China's framework simultaneously, a position that matters given its reserves of critical minerals used in high-tech and AI manufacturing. That kind of dual membership is exactly what the new US letter appears designed to end, pushing governments toward exclusive alignment rather than the balancing act Kazakhstan has managed so far.
China's embassy in Washington has already objected to the American approach, setting up a dispute over how the rest of the world engages with two competing technology blocs.
The US is drafting a letter to partner countries telling them to pick a side in the AI standoff between Washington and Beijing, according to Reuters. A State Department draft reviewed by Reuters warns, "To be part of everything is to be part of nothing." Countries that join China's AI initiative would be shut out of the US-led Pax Silica coalition.
Why this matters
For anyone building AI products with global ambitions, this draft letter is a warning shot about the infrastructure layer under your business. If Washington's "Pax Silica" framing holds, the choice won't stop at chips or cloud contracts, it'll extend to standards bodies, export licenses, and which countries your startup can even sell into. A founder in Jakarta or Nairobi weighing a Huawei AI deal versus a Nvidia partnership isn't just picking a vendor anymore. They're picking a bloc, with consequences for funding, market access, and regulatory treatment down the line.
Researchers should watch whether this forces a split in open research and data-sharing norms too. If countries align with one coalition's compute stack, collaboration across borders gets harder, not easier, just as AI safety work needs more of it. The State Department's line, "to be part of everything is to be part of nothing," reads like policy, but it's really a market-access threat aimed at every country still sitting on the fence. Watch which nations respond first, and what they give up to do it.
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Common Questions Answered
What is the Pax Silica coalition and which countries have joined?
Pax Silica is a US-led coalition established last year designed to lock down supply chains for AI models, semiconductors, and critical minerals. Roughly two dozen countries plus the European Union have already signed on to this initiative, which represents Washington's strategy to maintain technological dominance in the AI race.
What does the State Department's draft letter require partner governments to do regarding the US-China AI standoff?
The State Department's draft letter tells partner governments they must choose between joining Washington's coalition or Beijing's AI initiative, with the message that they can no longer hedge their bets on both sides. The letter warns that countries joining China's AI initiative would be shut out of the US-led Pax Silica coalition entirely.
How does this US-China AI competition affect global startups and founders?
Founders with global ambitions will face restrictions extending beyond just chip and cloud contracts to include standards bodies, export licenses, and market access based on geopolitical alignment. A startup founder choosing between vendors like Huawei and Nvidia is no longer making a simple business decision but rather picking a geopolitical side that determines which countries they can sell into.
What specific warning does the State Department draft convey about countries trying to remain neutral?
The draft letter states that 'To be part of everything is to be part of nothing,' signaling that countries attempting to maintain relationships with both the US and China will ultimately benefit from neither coalition. This language indicates Washington's intent to eliminate the middle ground and force definitive alignment choices.
Further Reading
- US to tell partners they must pick sides in AI race with China - Reuters
- Reuters reported on the intention of the United States to urge countries to choose a side in the AI race with China - Izvestia
- China's Xi to outline AI diplomacy vision at key Shanghai forum - Reuters
- G7 leaders discuss 'trusted partners' access to cutting-edge US AI models, sources say - Reuters
- US says it will speed development and use of AI for national security - Reuters
