US to tell partners they must pick sides in the AI race with China

On August 17 Reuters reported that the United States is preparing to tell dozens of countries they must choose between American and Chinese artificial-intelligence frameworks. A US official and an internal draft reviewed by the agency said partners who also sign up for Beijing’s competing framework will be excluded from a US-led AI coalition.

What the draft says

The letter was prepared by the State Department and addressed to the 35 signatories of a US “AI Opportunity Statement” signed in June. That group includes members of the non-binding Pax Silica framework and other countries that have said they want to align AI cooperation with Washington.

A US official, speaking anonymously because discussions are still internal, told Reuters the point of the letter is that “you can’t have it both ways.”

Why now

Pax Silica is meant to push allies toward export controls and cut reliance on adversaries for critical minerals, AI models, and the chips that run them. Reuters tied the timing to Chinese open-weight models gaining on proprietary systems from US labs, and to Beijing weighing restrictions on overseas access to some of its leading models.

• 35 countries on the June AI Opportunity Statement
• Exclusion from the US-led coalition if they also join China’s framework
• Context: minerals, models, and semiconductor supply chains

Takeaways

• Reported August 17, 2026 from a State Department draft reviewed by Reuters
• The letter has not been sent; it is still an internal draft
• Washington is framing AI alignment as exclusive, not dual-track

Source: Reuters via The Hindu