SINGAPORE: Singapore is considering an invitation it has received to join a China-led artificial intelligence bloc, as it navigates a growing US-China contest to shape the technology’s global landscape.
China’s World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (Waico) is a platform for countries to cooperate on both the development and governance of the technology.
It is seen as a counterpoint to Pax Silica, a US-led initiative aimed at building secure supply chains for AI which Singapore joined in December 2025 as a founding signatory.
“There is no Asean position on either Waico or Pax Silica. Singapore will therefore consider the (Waico) invitation alongside our broader engagements with China and other international AI cooperation initiatives,” said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo in Parliament on Sept 9.
The two initiatives include different Asean countries.
Pax Silica also counts the Philippines among participating countries. The US-led initiative currently has 24 members, including Australia, Israel, Japan, South Korea, and Britain.
It seeks to strengthen supply chains underpinning AI, spanning critical minerals and energy to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors and AI infrastructure.
Formally established on July 16, 2026, Waico has Asean members Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia and Myanmar among its 29 founding members.
Whether Singapore participates in any particular initiative depends on its objectives, the substantive areas of common interest, how it complements Singapore’s existing engagements, and Singapore’s overall interests, Teo said.
“It is therefore less meaningful to make one-to-one comparisons between individual initiatives. What matters is the overall relationships we have with each of our partners, and how we can continue to work with them in ways that advance Singapore’s interests and contribute constructively to international cooperation on AI.”
She was responding to questions from Nominated MP Neo Kok Beng and WP MP Louis Chua (Sengkang GRC) on Singapore’s positioning towards Waico and Pax Silica.
The Waico invitation comes as Washington and Beijing increasingly seek to build international coalitions around their respective approaches to AI.
In January, Singapore said its participation in Pax Silica is in line with its approach of working with international partners where there are mutual benefits, pointing to opportunities for collaboration and investment in advanced manufacturing and AI infrastructure – both key industries for Singapore and its companies.
Waico, a Shanghai-based intergovernmental organisation, aims to coordinate in areas such as AI development strategies, governance rules and technical standards, while helping developing countries build their capabilities in AI.
Beijing has positioned the grouping as a way to bridge the global AI divide, arguing that developing countries, particularly those in the Global South, should have greater access to the technology and a say in the rules governing it.
Media reports have suggested that both US and China are rallying support internationally for their respective initiatives.
South China Morning Post reported in Aug 21 that Chinese officials had heavily lobbied Asean countries to back their AI framework before it was established, including offering “exclusive privileges” for them to do so.
Reuters wrote on Aug 16 that the US was preparing to tell a dozen countries that they essentially had to pick sides, warning that they would be excluded from Pax Silica if they signed up for the Chinese framework.
Elaborating on Singapore’s strategic positioning in international AI cooperation, Teo said that the Republic engages different countries through a range of multilateral, plurilateral and bilateral platforms.
“The engagements arise at different times, serve different purposes, and evolve as our interests and circumstances change,” she said.
As an example, she cited how Singapore in 2022 initiated a digital pillar for the Forum of Small States, a UN grouping of 108 countries which also looks at capacity-building through sharing experiences among its members.
Earlier in 2026, Teo became a founding member of the AI for Good Global Commission initiated by the International Telecommunications Union, which also has representatives from the US and China.
The Republic’s bilateral platforms include a Cyber Dialogue with the US, and engagement with China via the Digital Policy Dialogue. - The Straits Times/ANN
