US Drafts Warning to Allies: Join China-Led AI Group and Risk Exclusion

State Department drafts letter demanding countries choose sides

Allies urged to pick AI alignment carefully

The Trump administration is preparing to pressure allies to choose between the US and China in artificial intelligence. Countries that join a China-led AI grouping could be excluded from US-centered cooperation on AI, semiconductors and critical-mineral supply chains. The move is also drawing attention to Pax Silica, a US-led partnership that includes South Korea, Japan and Australia.

Reuters reported on Aug. 14, citing sources, that the US State Department had drafted a letter for 35 countries that signed the US Statement on AI Opportunity in June.

Many of the countries covered by the letter also participate in Pax Silica, a US-led framework for cooperation on AI, semiconductors and critical-mineral supply chains. South Korea, Japan and Australia are among its members.

In the draft, the State Department says, "To participate in everything is to participate in nothing," and adds that signing the Pax Silica declaration is "not merely joining a club, but making a commitment."

It also urges countries to choose their AI course carefully.

The letter does not name China directly. Instead, it says countries cannot maintain membership while also joining overlapping initiatives that conflict with US expectations.

The warning is widely seen as aimed at the World AI Cooperation Organization, which Chinese President Xi Jinping launched in July.

Kazakhstan is the only country currently confirmed to have joined initiatives from both the US and China. Reuters reported that it is also among the letter's recipients. Kazakhstan is a major supplier of critical minerals used in advanced technology.

A US government official who asked not to be identified told Reuters the letter was drafted to make clear that countries cannot "straddle both sides."

"It is hard to understand how a country can credibly present itself as a trusted partner in one technology ecosystem while also joining an initiative designed by China to advance a competing vision for AI," the official said.

Washington's pressure campaign reflects the broader US-China rivalry over AI technology. China's open-weight AI models are rapidly catching up with US companies including OpenAI and Anthropic, sharpening the focus on which side will shape technology ecosystems and supply chains.

Reuters said the US appears to be trying to block China from securing the resources needed to develop advanced AI by forcing countries to choose sides. The aim is to check China at the supply-chain level, given AI's potential role in future military and economic competition.

China pushed back, saying trade and technology issues should not be politicized. The Chinese Embassy in Washington said such steps would only hinder the global development of AI and serve no one's interests.

Kim Dae-young, Hankyung.com reporter kdy@hankyung.com