An AP report details how countries are weighing US-led Pax Silica against China’s World AI Cooperation Organization as Washington signals limits to dual alignment.
Countries seeking AI investment and technology from both the United States and China face growing pressure to choose between competing international groups, according to an Associated Press report published October 25. The report describes the US-led Pax Silica and China-inspired World AI Cooperation Organization (WAICO) as rival efforts to shape AI supply chains and global influence.
Kazakhstan illustrates the balancing act. It joined US efforts to strengthen AI supply chains and then became a founding member of WAICO, alongside 28 other countries. The country is looking for partnerships and access to technology while also seeking a role in setting regional and global AI standards, AP reported.
Washington has sharpened the tension: the US State Department said countries cannot be trusted Pax Silica partners while substantively engaging in initiatives advancing a competing vision for AI. Beijing, by contrast, has presented WAICO as open and inclusive. The Chinese embassy in Washington said the two major AI powers should draw on their respective strengths rather than guard against each other.
Other governments are also trying to keep options open. Indonesia has joined WAICO, and an Indonesian official said the country wants to participate in both groupings and choose the best systems. Singapore is weighing whether to join China’s organization while also attracting investment from US AI companies. AP also notes that Saudi Arabia has adopted a Chinese company’s open model while maintaining a deal with Nvidia to expand computing using advanced chips.
The competing offers involve more than diplomacy: US-linked ecosystems provide access to advanced chips and AI technologies, while Chinese systems are often presented as more affordable and open source. For countries building domestic AI capacity, being pressured to align with only one side could affect access to compute, investment, and influence over standards. The report underscores that governments are pursuing different mixes of partnerships rather than uniformly choosing one bloc.