The United States, South Korea and other partners on Fridayadopted 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 counterChina's growing heft in those fields,Azernewsreports, citing Yonhap.

Seven countries, including Japan, Australia, Britain, Israel andSingapore, signed the declaration under an America-led initiativeto forge a coalition among U.S. allies and partners, as theyattended the inaugural Pax Silica summit in Washington.

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

The declaration came as President Donald Trump's administrationis pushing to enhance America's global "AI dominance," ensurestable supply chains for critical minerals and counter China'scontrol over those strategically vital resources, amid anintensifying rivalry between the two superpowers.

Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina represented South Korea atthe summit. The Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates alsoparticipated in the summit, though they did not join thedeclaration.

Released by Seoul's foreign ministry, the declaration stressedthat AI represents a transformative force for countries' long-termprosperity, and that "trustworthy" systems are essential tosafeguarding mutual security and prosperity.

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

It also highlighted the importance of "fair" market practicesand joint efforts against "market distortions," though it did notmention China by name.

"We believe that true economic security requires reducingexcessive dependencies and forging new connections with reliablepartners and suppliers committed to fair market practices. ... Wewill endeavor to provide access to trusted partners to the fullstack of technological advancements that are shaping the AIeconomy," the declaration read.

"We understand the importance of addressing non-market practicesthat undermine innovation and fair competition. We believe thatcoordination is essential to protect private investment from themarket distortions of overcapacity and unfair dumping practices,and to preserve a level playing field for innovation andgrowth."

Moreover, it noted the need for cooperation on policy efforts toprotect 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 andcommunication technology systems, fiberoptic cables, and datacenters.

During the summit, Seoul's vice foreign minister emphasized theimportance of cooperation across the entirety of the global AIsupply chain, including energy, critical minerals, cutting-edgemanufacturing, AI infrastructure, transportation and logistics, herministry said in a press release.

She expressed Seoul's determination to contribute to promotingsupply chain stability by leveraging South Korean companies'strengths in battery, semiconductors, energy and other fields, theministry said.

The Pax Silica initiative comes amid growing concerns overChina's dominant control of critical minerals, including rare earthelements key to the manufacturing of military and electronicequipment.

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