Kazakhstan joins both US and China AI blocs within weeks

As the U.S. and China form their own AI blocs, the window for countries to choose freely may be narrowing. Kazakhstan's case shows a middle path: it joined Pax Silica for technological partnerships and supply-chain access, while joining China's initiative for a voice in setting standards. Other countries are following similar strategies. Indonesia, which has nickel and copper resources, joined China's organization and its National Economic Council vice chair said it should be part of both. Singapore is considering China's group while hosting Anthropic's latest Asia office. Saudi Arabia's Humain built a platform on a Chinese open model even as the kingdom has an Nvidia deal. France is pursuing its own path with Mistral, and Japan is aligned with the U.S. on strategic issues but will not reject Chinese models for lower-risk applications, according to a professor. The U.S. State Department signaled that substantive engagement with a competing vision conflicts with Pax Silica membership, suggesting the hedging space may shrink. China has provided official sector grants and loans for AI-related projects in at least 77 low- and middle-income countries, and Pew Research Center study results show people in middle-income countries becoming more positive and trusting of China on AI regulation.