Congress questions India’s omission from US-led Pax Silica initiative, calls it a ‘mi
Congress questions India’s omission from US-led Pax Silica initiative, calls it a ‘missed opportunity’
M.U.H
13/12/202527
The Congress party Saturday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over India’s exclusion from the United States-led strategic initiative, Pax Silica, citing the ‘sharp downturn’ in his relations with US President Donald Trump.
The party termed it a missed opportunity, especially as it comes a day after PM Modi enthusiastically shared on social media details of a phone call with his ‘once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC.’
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh highlighted the issue on X, stating that it would have been to India’s advantage to be part of the group. He wrote: “According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control over high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for now) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia.”
He added: “Given the sharp downturn in 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. This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted about his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC.”
Pax Silica, the new US-led strategic initiative, aims to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain through deep cooperation with trusted allies. The initiative includes countries such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates. Notably, India is excluded, while all other QUAD countries are part of the initiative.
According to the US State Department, the initiative seeks to reduce coercive dependencies, protect materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure that aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
In related developments, New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of ‘People, Planet, and Progress’. Announced by PM Modi at the France AI Action Summit, it will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Meanwhile, PM Modi and US President Trump discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership during a phone conversation on Thursday. The call coincided with the conclusion of two-day talks between Indian and American negotiators on a proposed bilateral trade agreement, expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration’s 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
