Philippines' Sovereignty and the Pax Silica Industrial Hub: US Official's Assurance

The struggle between the US and China over who will lead in artificial intelligence is one of the defining competitions of our time. In the third part of our exclusive interview with a key player defining Washington’s policy on AI, Jacob Helberg, US undersecretary of state for economic affairs, gives a commitment to the Philippines on the Pax Silica Initiative. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr used his State of the Nation address in Manila on Monday to staunchly defend a proposed US-backed artificial intelligence hub, promising it would create “quality jobs” and inject new life into the economy. The venture is the flagship project in a US-led coalition seeking to build China-free AI supply chains spanning critical minerals, semiconductors and logistics. “A product of the 23-member strong and US-led Pax Silica Initiative, the Pax Silica Industrial Hub will create an ecosystem that will have AI at its core,” Marcos said. “It will bring quality jobs to our people, accelerate our industrial competitiveness, and revitalise our economy.” The promise is to establish an advanced manufacturing and logistics centre in the global AI and technology value chain. But critics warn that the project could erode Philippine sovereignty, displace farming communities, and cause environmental harm.