Southeast Asia’s familiar predicament – being asked to choose between Washington and Beijing – is acquiring an artificial intelligence dimension. In August, Reuters reported that a draft U.S. State Department letter warned partners against combining participation in Pax Silica, the U.S.-led technology initiative, with competing arrangements. The letter didn’t include specific names, but the obvious inference was that Washington was trying to discourage participation in China’s World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO).
The draft was undated, and Reuters could not establish if it would be sent or whether it would change. Even so, its political ambition was clear: Washington wanted cooperation on AI to carry a stronger expectation of alignment.
For Southeast Asian governments, the danger extends beyond an uncomfortable diplomatic decision. Technology agreements made today can shape which choices remain affordable tomorrow. If a country’s businesses and public services become heavily dependent on one foreign supplier, resisting that supplier’s government may become more costly even without a formal demand to take sides. The region therefore needs to negotiate development benefits and political room for maneuver together, while competing powers still have reasons to court Southeast Asia.
