Why was India excluded from 'Pax Silica' tech bloc? US official responds

The US-led Pax Silica initiative seeks to secure the global silicon and AI supply chain. While Quad partners Japan and Australia are included, India's absence has raised questions

Last week, the US announced a silicon supply chain initiative called 'Pax Silica', a tech bloc of American allies aimed at tackling China's growing AI capabilities. While all other Quad members, including Japan and Australia, are part of the group, India was left out.

 

Amid speculations that New Delhi's absence was due to strained trade relations with Washington, a US representative has now clarified that the countries were chosen due to their specific role in the global supply chain.

 

Here’s a look at what the Pax Silica initiative is and why India’s exclusion has drawn attention.

 

What is Pax Silica?

 

Pax Silica is a US-led strategic initiative designed to create a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain. It covers everything from critical minerals and energy inputs to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI infrastructure, and logistics.

 

 

The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia.

 

The US State Department said Pax Silica aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect critical materials and capabilities essential for artificial intelligence, and help partner countries scale new technologies.

 

What did the US say about India’s exclusion?

 

US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg said discussions with India on economic security are ongoing and separate from trade talks. He rejected claims that political tensions played a role in India’s exclusion from Pax Silica, adding that the US continues to view India as a highly strategic partner for supply chain security.

 

Speaking at a Foreign Press Centre briefing on Wednesday, Helberg said the US is having “ongoing conversations with India about ways of deepening our economic security collaboration”. He added that Washington remains open to working closely with New Delhi on supply chain security.   

 

 

Was India’s exclusion linked to trade tensions?

 

Helberg clarified that India’s absence from Pax Silica is not connected to trade disputes or diplomatic tensions.

 

“I want to be clear that the conversations between the United States and India pertaining to trade arrangements are a completely separate and parallel track to our discussions on supply chain security. We are not conflating those two things. We view India as a highly strategic potential partner on supply chain security-related efforts, and we welcome the opportunity to engage with them,” he added.

 

Helberg said he is in “nearly daily communication” with Indian officials and that both sides are actively looking at ways to deepen collaboration quickly.

 

He also announced that he will attend the India AI Impact Summit in February, describing it as a key opportunity for face-to-face discussions and identifying “some tangible milestones”.

 

Why were these countries chosen first?

 

Helberg explained that the initial focus was on countries that play a central role in semiconductor manufacturing.

 

“While a lot of countries contribute different pieces to the overall global supply chain, we focused on a segment of the supply chain that was very focused on semiconductor manufacturing,” he said.

 

“In this regard, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the Netherlands really form the nucleus of semiconductor manufacturing.”

 

He added that the US wanted to start with a smaller group before expanding the framework further. “And so we decided to start there to start by having a smaller group discussion before we started branching out to second and third degree down in the stack of the supply chain,” he said.

 

Congress criticises PM Modi over India's exclusion

 

Meanwhile, the Congress party launched a sharp critique of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over India’s exclusion from Pax Silica.

 

In a post on X, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh linked the absence to a downturn in US-India relations since May this year. He wrote, “...Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group.”   (With agency inputs)