The United States is preparing to tell 35 countries they cannot belong to both the American and Chinese artificial intelligence coalitions, and that joining Beijing's framework will cost them their place in Washington's, according to an undated State Department draft letter reviewed by Reuters and a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The letter is addressed to the signatories of an "AI Opportunity Statement" the United States circulated in June, a group that includes members of Pax Silica, the non-binding framework Washington launched last year to secure supply chains for critical minerals, semiconductors and AI models, Reuters reported.
"To be part of everything is to be part of nothing. Signature of the Pax Silica Declaration is not merely a membership subscription, but a commitment."
The letter urges signatories to choose deliberately and does not name China. The U.S. official said the document was drafted to make clear that countries "can't have it both ways," speaking on condition of anonymity because internal discussions are continuing.
The letter has not been sent. Reuters reported it could not determine when the State Department intends to deliver it, or whether the wording will be revised first, and said the draft carried no date. The department declined to comment on what it called "purportedly leaked internal documents."
Kazakhstan was likely the trigger - as the only country known to have joined both frameworks. Reuters described it as a pote
