Crossroads Asia | Economy | Central Asia

Pax Silica vs WAICO: Will Central Asia Have to Pick a Side? 

One clue as to how the U.S. plans to proceed might be glimpsed in how Uzbekistan progresses in following Kazakhstan into dual membership.

Kazakhstan presently sits in a unique and potentially precarious spot: It’s the only country in the world to have joined both Washington’s Pax Silica and China’s World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), competing AI alliances. With a Reuters report last month suggesting that the U.S. may pressure partners to pick a side, Central Asia’s – and Kazakhstan’s – multivector methods may soon be challenged. 

Astana joined Pax Silica officially on June 27, with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev signing the relevant declaration and the joint statement on the AI Opportunity Partnership during the second Pax Silica Summit in Washington, D.C.

Less than three weeks later, Madiyev attended the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2026, in Shanghai and became a founding member of WAICO alongside 28 other countries. 

As it stands now, Washington’s Pax Silica counts 24 countries as signatories, with Taiwan listed as a “non-signatory participant.” Beijing, meanwhile, counts 37 countries as members of WAICO, with Bangladesh taking on an “observer” status.

Pax Silica, launched in December 2025, is branded by the U.S. State Department as its “flagship effort on AI and supply chain security, advancing new economic security consensus among allies and trusted partners.” The declaration highlights supply chain resilience, particularly as it applies to the AI supply chain – everything from energy to critical mineral, manufacturing to technology and infrastructure. 

Although China is not directly named, the declaration’s references to “reducing excessive dependencies” and “forging new connections with reliable partners and suppliers committed to fair market practices” are clear dog whistles screaming Beijing. 

WAICO, meanwhile, was first proposed by China in July 2025 and came into being in July 2026. It frames itself as an international organization focused on AI governance. Notably United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres attended the signing as a guest, providing at least the impression of U.N. endorsement. 

Despite the differences in focus – Pax Silica is crafted around physical concerns, while WAICO homes in on governance and norms – the two blocs are being positioned as the combatants in a new cold war. Whether that analogy works or not comes down to whether countries are effectively........

© The Diplomat