{"id":82910,"date":"2026-01-17T11:12:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T05:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=82910"},"modified":"2026-01-17T11:12:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T05:42:21","slug":"pax-silica-and-msp-why-india-joined-late","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/pax-silica-and-msp-why-india-joined-late\/","title":{"rendered":"Pax Silica and MSP: Why India Joined Late"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Pax Silica Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s belated induction into US-led initiatives like <\/span><b>Minerals Security Partnership<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>Pax Silica<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has evoked a sense of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu among policymakers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As with MSP\u2014where India joined a year after launch\u2014its entry into Pax Silica came after the initiative was already underway, seen largely as a <\/span><b>conciliatory gesture<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> amid efforts to steady bilateral ties.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The significance lies in what these groupings signal about the emerging global tech order, especially as countries reorganise supply chains in strategic sectors with Chinese presence.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Platforms like Pax Silica could shape rules by addressing chokepoints in inputs such as magnets and critical minerals\u2014effectively determining where leverage will sit.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s initial exclusion, followed by a late inclusion, carries a subtle message: strategic goodwill alone may not suffice.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To be a partner of first choice in US-led initiatives, India must be seen as bringing tangible capabilities and value to the table in shaping resilient, rules-setting supply chains.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>About Pax Silica<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pax Silica is a US-led strategic initiative aimed at countering China\u2019s dominance in next-generation technologies.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It seeks to reduce \u201ccoercive dependencies\u201d and protect materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence, enabling aligned nations to develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Objectives and Scope<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the US State Department, Pax Silica is designed to build a secure, prosperous, and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It aims to ensure access across the entire AI stack\u2014from critical minerals and semiconductor chips to security and logistics infrastructure.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Key Thrust Areas Under Pax Silica<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under Pax Silica, participating countries aim to:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pursue joint ventures and strategic co-investments<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protect sensitive technologies and critical infrastructure from undue foreign control<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Build trusted technology ecosystems spanning ICT systems, fibre-optic cables, data centres, foundational AI models, and applications<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Founding Members and Their Strengths<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The inaugural Pax Silica Summit brought together <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These countries collectively host key companies and investors that power the global AI and semiconductor supply chain, reflecting their technological or resource-based leverage.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why India Was Initially Excluded from Pax Silica<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pax Silica aims to secure supply chains spanning critical minerals, energy inputs, advanced manufacturing, and semiconductors.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s initial absence reflects perceptions that it <\/span><b>lacks decisive edge technologies<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or control over key resources central to the grouping\u2019s objectives.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>What the Selected Countries Bring<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each of the eight founding members offers a distinct strategic advantage:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>The Netherlands<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> controls specialised lithography machines vital for chipmaking.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Japan and South Korea<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> bring deep technology and manufacturing expertise.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Australia<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> contributes critical mineral reserves and mining capabilities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Israel<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a global innovation and technology hub.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Singapore<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> serves as a major transhipment and logistics hub.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>The UK<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> offers strengths in services and technology.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>The UAE<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has rapidly built AI capabilities and supporting infrastructure.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>A Familiar Pattern from MSP<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A similar logic shaped the initial membership of the Minerals Security Partnership, where early partners included countries with clear mineral, technology, or institutional advantages.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India joined later, despite its efforts to position itself as a node in global supply-chain realignment as firms diversify away from China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>The Takeaway for India<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The common thread among the founding members is a <\/span><b>tangible lead in AI or semiconductor supply chain<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">s\u2014an area where India currently lacks comparable processing capacity and expertise.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As with earlier initiatives such as the MSP, this gap explains India\u2019s absence at the outset.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The exclusion underscores a consistent message: entry into US-led strategic groupings hinges on demonstrable capabilities and leverage\u2014not just intent.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To be a first-choice partner, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India must strengthen its control over critical inputs, technologies, or platforms that shape supply-chain rules<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Shared Challenge: China\u2019s Critical Minerals Dominance<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experts point out that China\u2019s dominance in critical minerals has created sharp global price gaps, <\/span><b>disadvantaging<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> non-Chinese supply chains.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While this opens space for India to attract US investment, it also raises risks of Chinese coercion as India deepens alignment with Washington.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent framed China\u2019s export controls as \u201cChina versus the rest of the world,\u201d calling for support from Europe, India, and Asian democracies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite this rhetoric and shared concerns, India remained outside Pax Silica\u2019s initial list, underscoring a gap between strategic alignment and perceived capabilities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-economics\/india-late-inclusion-pax-silica-and-msp-has-a-message-10474562\/lite\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/us-india-pax-silica-significance-10469194\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pax Silica and MSP reveal why India\u2019s late entry into US-led tech and minerals groupings matters, signalling gaps in capabilities amid global supply-chain realignment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":82927,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,4746,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-82910","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-pax-silica","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82910\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}