# Draft US letter would press allies to choose an AI bloc

_Monday, August 17, 2026 at 4:12 AM EDT · Power, AI · Developing · Tier 1 — Major_

![Draft US letter would press allies to choose an AI bloc — Primary](https://media.thenextweb.com/2026/04/Us-china.jpg)

A reported draft US State Department letter would tell countries that joined a June AI Opportunity Statement that they must choose between US and Chinese AI ecosystems.

The letter concerns Pax Silica, a US initiative aimed at AI-model, semiconductor and critical-mineral supply chains. According to the report, members could gain access to shared AI investment opportunities, while countries joining China's competing framework could be excluded. The State Department declined to comment on what it called purportedly leaked internal documents, and the letter could still change before being sent.

## Sources

- [The Next Web](https://thenextweb.com/news/us-pick-sides-ai-race-china-pax-silica)

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Retrieved: 2026-08-17T13:07:19.972Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)