{"slug": "us-government-warns-countries-to-choose-sides-in-ai-race", "title": "US government warns countries to choose sides in AI race", "summary": "The US State Department is preparing to warn roughly 35 partner nations in the Pax Silica initiative that joining China's World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO) will result in exclusion from the US-led bloc, according to a report on August 14, 2026. Pax Silica, launched December 12, 2025, includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the UK, Australia, and later the EU, India, and Israel, while WAICO, announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping on July 16, 2026, has 29 founding members including Brazil, Russia, and South Africa. Kazakhstan is the only country currently in both groups, and the draft statement lacks specific enforcement measures.", "body_md": "Via lonelyplanet.com\n\n# US government warns countries to choose sides in AI race\n\nWashington tells partner nations that joining China's new AI organization means getting kicked out of its Pax Silica initiative\n\nThe US State Department is preparing to deliver what amounts to a geopolitical loyalty test to roughly 35 countries: pick us or pick China, but you can’t have both.\n\nThe warning, reported on August 14, 2026, tells partner nations in the US-led Pax Silica initiative that any participation in China’s World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation, known as WAICO, will result in exclusion from the American-led bloc.\n\n## Two blocs, one ultimatum\n\nPax Silica launched on December 12, 2025, at a summit in Washington, D.C. Its founding partners included Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the UK, and Australia. The EU, India, and Israel joined later.\n\nThe initiative’s core mission is supply-chain resilience. Signatories committed to coordinated investments in semiconductors and data centers, with the explicit goal of reducing dependence on concentrated supply chains, particularly those running through China.\n\nOn the other side of this divide sits WAICO, announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping on July 16, 2026, during a speech in Shanghai. It launched with 29 founding members, including Brazil, Russia, and South Africa.\n\n## Kazakhstan’s awkward position\n\nOf all the countries caught in this tug-of-war, Kazakhstan finds itself in the most interesting spot. It’s reportedly the only nation currently participating in both Pax Silica and WAICO, a diplomatic balancing act that the US warning seems designed to make untenable.\n\n## The enforcement question\n\nThere’s a notable gap between the ultimatum’s ambition and its teeth. The draft statement reportedly lacks specific enforcement measures or sanctions.\n\nStill, the implicit threat is real enough. Exclusion from Pax Silica would mean losing access to coordinated semiconductor investments and potentially being shut out of supply chains for advanced chips. The US controls, either directly or through allies, the most critical chokepoints in the global chip supply chain, from ASML’s lithography machines in the Netherlands to TSMC’s fabrication plants in Taiwan.\n\nChina’s counter-offer through WAICO faces its own limitations. Beijing’s most advanced chip manufacturing still trails behind what’s available through Pax Silica partners, and US export controls have constrained China’s ability to share cutting-edge hardware with allies.\n\n**Disclosure:** This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our\n\n[Editorial Policy](https://cryptobriefing.com/editorial-policy/).", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/us-government-warns-countries-to-choose-sides-in-ai-race", "canonical_source": "https://cryptobriefing.com/us-warns-countries-choose-sides-ai-race/", "published_at": "2026-08-15 10:45:36+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-15 11:12:15.202064+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy"], "entities": ["US State Department", "Pax Silica", "World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation", "WAICO", "Xi Jinping", "Kazakhstan", "ASML", "TSMC"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/us-government-warns-countries-to-choose-sides-in-ai-race", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/us-government-warns-countries-to-choose-sides-in-ai-race.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/us-government-warns-countries-to-choose-sides-in-ai-race.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/us-government-warns-countries-to-choose-sides-in-ai-race.jsonld"}}