**[US-China AI Rivalry Escalates: U.S. Plans to Force 35 Nations to Choose Sides]** According to monitoring by Beating, the United States is preparing to require 35 signatory countries of the "AI Opportunity Statement" to choose sides between the U.S. and Chinese AI camps. A draft internal memo from the U.S. State Department, seen by Reuters, indicates that if these nations simultaneously join China's competitive AI framework, they may be excluded from the U.S.-led cooperative system. The memo has not yet been sent and its content remains subject to revision. Last year, the U.S. established *Pax Silica*, which now has 25 signatories. The scope of cooperation includes AI models, chips, critical minerals, energy, and advanced manufacturing, with the U.S. aiming to build an AI supply chain system composed of allies and partners. The initiative is clearly targeting China's *World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO)*, founded in July. WAICO already has 29 founding member countries, and China is simultaneously promoting open-weight models, AI training, and cooperation centers to developing nations. Kazakhstan is currently the only known country to have joined both the U.S. and Chinese frameworks, and it is also a key source of critical minerals valued by the U.S. If this requirement is ultimately implemented, the U.S.-China AI competition will expand from vying for models and chips to competing for nations. In the future, countries seeking to simultaneously access U.S. chips, investments, and supply chain cooperation while utilizing China's open models and participating in Chinese AI projects will find it increasingly difficult to balance both sides. [Original Link]