Washington Prepares to Issue an 'AI Ultimatum'! Exclusive Reuters Report: U.S. to Force Allies to Choose Sides, Warning 'Join Beijing’s Camp and You’ll Be Expelled'

Reuters reported exclusively on the 15th that, according to internal State Department documents obtained and reviewed by the media, the United States is preparing to issue notifications to more than thirty countries, demanding they choose sides in the artificial intelligence (AI) race against China. Countries that simultaneously sign Beijing-led AI competition frameworks will be excluded from the U.S.-led AI alliance. With President Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to the U.S., the first government-level U.S.-China AI negotiations are imminent, escalating the tech war into a geopolitical battle over critical minerals, chip supply chains, and diplomatic alliances.

Reuters noted that this draft letter, prepared by the U.S. State Department and undated, will be sent to the 35 countries that signed the U.S. 'AI Opportunity Statement' in June. This includes over 20 members of the 'Pax Silica' framework (including core U.S. allies such as Japan, Australia, and South Korea, as well as Kazakhstan, a key Central Asian critical mineral producer), and other nations that have expressed willingness to deepen AI cooperation with Washington.

The State Department recently announced it will invest up to $50 million in foreign aid to develop a pilot platform for the 'Pax Silica' initiative in Panama, accelerating trade in AI-critical products among allies and using AI technology to streamline logistics. The 'AI Opportunity Statement' was a joint declaration promoted by the State Department at the second Pax Silica Summit in June, aiming to align more countries with the U.S. on AI development, regulatory pathways, and digital infrastructure, serving as an extension and supplement to the Pax Silica framework.

News Brief: Pax Silica Pax Silica (Silicon Peace) is a U.S.-led international initiative officially launched in December 2025, aiming to ensure the security and resilience of supply chains for semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), rare earths, and other critical technologies, reduce dependence on China, and prevent supply disruptions caused by geopolitical tensions. Taiwan is currently a 'Non-Signatory Participant' in the Pax Silica Declaration, meaning it participates through the 'Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue' (EPPD) framework by signing the 'Pax Silica Declaration and Joint Statement on U.S.-Taiwan Economic Security Cooperation,' affirming and supporting the declaration’s principles—but Taiwan is not a formal signatory to the 'AI Opportunity Statement.'

State Department Warns Allies: You Can’t Have It Both Ways Washington launched the non-binding 'Pax Silica' initiative last year to push allies to launch joint programs and coordinate export controls during the intense U.S.-China tech rivalry, ensuring supply chain security for AI models, semiconductor chips, and critical minerals, and reducing reliance on the opposing camp. Reuters noted that 'Pax Silica' members can enjoy co-investment opportunities in AI-related projects, while signing the 'AI Opportunity Statement' symbolically affirms alignment with U.S. 'shared goals' and 'shared vision.'

The draft letter from the U.S. bluntly warns countries: 'Participating in everything means participating in nothing. Signing the Pax Silica Declaration is not just about gaining membership—it is a commitment.' The letter urges countries to 'make thoughtful choices' in the AI domain, emphasizing that this commitment 'cannot coexist with duplicative initiatives whose intended goals conflict with ours.' Although the draft does not directly name China, its exclusionary intent is clear.

An anonymous U.S. official told Reuters the letter aims to inform allies they 'can’t have it both ways': 'It’s hard to imagine how a country can be seen as a trusted partner within a technological ecosystem while also joining an initiative designed by China to advance a competing AI vision.' The U.S. clearly hopes to cut off China’s access to external resources needed to develop advanced AI by forcing countries to pick sides.

In response to the draft letter reported by Reuters, the U.S. State Department said it 'does not comment on alleged leaked internal documents'; Kazakhstan’s embassy in the U.S. did not respond to requests for comment; and a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. criticized that China opposes politicizing economic, trade, and technological issues, emphasizing that 'such actions will only stifle global AI progress and serve no one’s interests.'

Kazakhstan Becomes the Focal Point of Rival Camps Reuters pointed out that the direct trigger for the U.S. alert is Kazakhstan, the only Central Asian country currently 'simultaneously joining' both U.S. and Chinese AI camps. Kazakhstan possesses vast reserves of critical minerals. After former U.S. President Donald Trump launched a tariff war last year, Beijing frequently played its 'rare earth card' as a retaliatory weapon, prompting Washington to aggressively court Kazakhstan. In June, the U.S. heavily promoted Kazakhstan as the first Central Asian nation to join 'Pax Silica'—but Kazakhstan subsequently also signed on to China’s AI initiative.

Chinese President Xi Jinping held the 'World Artificial Intelligence Conference' (WAIC) in Shanghai in July, announcing the establishment of the 'World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation' (WAICO), attracting 29 founding member states. Notable attendees included UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

At WAIC, Xi delivered a speech on AI governance, likening AI’s transformative significance to the invention of the steam engine and electricity. He urged nations to seize the historic opportunity of 'open-weight' and open-source AI to avoid 'new historical injustices' caused by technological inequality. Xi pledged cooperation with BRICS, ASEAN, Latin American, and African Union nations to establish AI cooperation centers and provide training, shaping China’s open-source models into 'global public goods' and claiming leadership for the 'Global South' in setting AI standards.

Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng stated that competition between China and the U.S. in AI is natural, but should be healthy, with development and security equally emphasized—'putting on the brakes before accelerating.' He added that both nations should demonstrate great power responsibility through cooperation. The world does not want to see an 'AI Iron Curtain' or 'AI land-grabbing,' let alone an 'AI version of Star Wars.' U.S.-China coordination on AI concerns the future of both nations and humanity. He hopes the U.S. will move toward China, enhance dialogue, manage competition, and conduct cooperation, making AI a new frontier for bilateral cooperation and a new ladder for human progress.

'Closed Technology' vs. 'Open Architecture' Reuters noted that U.S.-China AI competition has reached a critical turning point. China’s 'open-weight' models are rapidly catching up with proprietary systems from U.S. firms like OpenAI and Anthropic. At the WAIC conference, Beijing-based startup Moonshot AI unveiled 'Kimi K3,' an open-source model claimed to have the largest number of parameters globally. Prior to this, the U.S. government temporarily requested the withdrawal of Anthropic’s latest model over security concerns, while Beijing was reportedly considering restrictions on the export of leading models—indicating both sides face high tensions between national security and technological diffusion.