‘Pax Silica’ declaration aims to counter China’s growing AI ambitions

Washington: The United States, South Korea and other partners have adopted the “Pax Silica” Declaration for cooperation to build a “trusted” supply chain ecosystem for artificial intelligence (AI), critical minerals and other areas, as Washington seeks to counter China’s growing heft in those fields.

Seven countries, including Japan, Australia, Britain, Israel and Singapore, signed the declaration under an America-led initiative to forge a coalition among U.S. allies and partners, as they attended the inaugural Pax Silica summit in Washington, reports Yonhap news agency.

Pax Silica draws from the Latin pax, which means peace, stability and long-term prosperity, while silica refers to the compound refined into silicon, a chemical element key to the computer chips that enable artificial intelligence, according to the State Department.

The declaration came as President Donald Trump’s administration is pushing to enhance America’s global “AI dominance,” ensure stable supply chains for critical minerals and counter China’s control over those strategically vital resources, amid an intensifying rivalry between the two superpowers.

Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina represented South Korea at the summit. The Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates also participated in the summit, though they did not join the declaration.

Released by Seoul’s foreign ministry, the declaration stressed that AI represents a transformative force for countries’ long-term prosperity, and that “trustworthy” systems are essential to safeguarding mutual security and prosperity.

It pointed out a wide range of cooperation areas, including software applications and platforms, frontier foundation models, information connectivity and network infrastructure, computing and semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, transportation logistics, minerals refining and processing, and energy.

It also highlighted the importance of “fair” market practices and joint efforts against “market distortions,” though it did not mention China by name.

“We believe that true economic security requires reducing excessive dependencies and forging new connections with reliable partners and suppliers committed to fair market practices. … We will endeavour to provide access to trusted partners to the full stack of technological advancements that are shaping the AI economy,” the declaration read.

“We understand the importance of addressing non-market practices that undermine innovation and fair competition. We believe that coordination is essential to protect private investment from the market distortions of overcapacity and unfair dumping practices, and to preserve a level playing field for innovation and growth.”

Moreover, it noted the need for cooperation on policy efforts to protect sensitive technologies and critical infrastructure from “undue access, influence, or control.”

It also said that the countries seek to build and deploy “trusted” information networks, including information and communication technology systems, fiberoptic cables, and data centres.

During the summit, Seoul’s vice foreign minister emphasised the importance of cooperation across the entirety of the global AI supply chain, including energy, critical minerals, cutting-edge manufacturing, AI infrastructure, transportation and logistics, her ministry said in a press release.

She expressed Seoul’s determination to contribute to promoting supply chain stability by leveraging South Korean companies’ strengths in battery, semiconductors, energy and other fields, the ministry said.

The Pax Silica initiative comes amid growing concerns over China’s dominant control of critical minerals, including rare earth elements key to the manufacturing of military and electronic equipment.
IANS