The United States is preparing to tell 35 allied and partner nations they must choose sides in the global artificial intelligence race, warning that countries cannot participate simultaneously in a US-led AI coalition and a competing Chinese framework.
A draft State Department letter, reviewed by Reuters, is addressed to signatories of a US “AI Opportunity Statement” signed in June, which includes members of the non-binding Pax Silica framework and other countries that have expressed interest in AI cooperation with Washington.
The letter warns that participation in what it calls “duplicative initiatives” whose expectations conflict with US objectives would undermine trust. Though the draft does not explicitly name China, it directly targets Beijing’s recently launched “World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization,” which Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled in July as a counterweight to US influence in the sector.
Kazakhstan in the Crosshairs
Kazakhstan has emerged as the focal point of Washington’s concerns. The Central Asian nation, which the US touted in June as the first in the region to join Pax Silica due to its significant critical mineral reserves, has also signed on to China’s competing initiative, alarming US officials.
“To be part of everything is to be part of nothing,” the letter states, urging countries to “choose deliberately” regarding AI cooperation. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the message is clear: “You can’t have it both ways.”
The Strategic Stakes
The move comes as the AI race between Washington and Beijing reaches a pivotal moment. Chinese open-weight AI models have made rapid gains against proprietary systems from US companies including OpenAI and Anthropic, while China has leveraged its near-monopoly over critical minerals as leverage in an ongoing tariff war.
Pax Silica aims to push allies toward joint projects and export controls on AI-related supply chains, including semiconductors, AI models, and critical minerals. About two dozen countries have joined, including close US allies Japan, Australia, and South Korea.
China’s embassy in Washington responded by opposing what it called the politicization of trade and technology, stating such actions “will only stifle global AI advances and serve no one’s interests.” Reuters could not determine when the US intends to send the letter or whether it might be amended before sending. The State Department declined to comment on “purportedly leaked internal documents.”
Sources: Reuters; Business Standard
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