According to the US State Department, the Pax Silica 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.
US President Donald Trump congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the BJP ended the TMC’s 15-year rule in West Bengal. (File image/IANS)
Sergio Gor made a big announcement on Monday (January 12) in his first remarks after taking charge as the new US Ambassador to India earlier today: India will be invited by the United States next month to join Pax Silica as a full member.
The US last month launched the Pax Silica strategic initiative to build a secure, prosperous, and innovation-driven silicon supply chain from critical minerals and energy inputs to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI development, and logistics. 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.
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Several countries joined the US-led initiative at the launch last month, including Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia.
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India was a notable exclusion from the initiative and the opposition Congress party criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over the development, calling it “a missed opportunity”.
However, the new US envoy to New Delhi announced today: “I want to share with you today a new initiative that the United States launched just last month called Pax Silica. Nations that joined last month include Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Israel. Today, I am pleased to announce that India will be invited to join this group of nations as a full member next month.”
“As the world adopts new technology, it is essential that India and the United States work hand in hand from the very start of this initiative,” he added.
#WATCH | Delhi: After assuming charge as the US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor says, “I am pleased to announce that India will be invited to join PaxSilica as a full member next month…”
He says “… I also want to share with you today a new initiative that the United States… pic.twitter.com/DEpnRvJcMX
— ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2026
Gor also commented on the ongoing talks between the two countries on a bilateral trade deal, which assumes significance in the face of high tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on India. The ambassador said the “next call” on the deal will happen tomorrow.
“Many of you have asked me for an update on the ongoing trade deal negotiations. Both sides continue to actively engage. In fact, the next call on trade will occur tomorrow,” Gr said, as per news agency ANI.
The envoy also explained why there has been a delay in concluding the negotiations.
“India is the world’s largest nation. So, it’s not an easy task to get this across the finish line, but we are determined to get there. While trade is very important for our relationship, we will continue to work closely together on other very important areas such as security, counter-terrorism, energy, technology, education, and health,” he said.
#WATCH | Delhi: After assuming charge as the US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor says, “Many of you have asked me for an update on the ongoing trade deal negotiations. Both sides continue to actively engage. In fact, the next call on trade will occur tomorrow. India is the world’s… pic.twitter.com/jKhEQhHwNM
— ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2026
Gor further said that India is an “essential partner” for the US, adding that he will work to further the strategic relationship between the two countries.
“No partner is more essential than India. In the months and years ahead, it is my goal as ambassador to pursue a very ambitious agenda. We will do this as true strategic partners, each bringing strength, respect, and leadership to the table,” Gor said.
“It is great to be here as the United States’ Ambassador. I come to this remarkable nation with profound respect and a clear mission: to take the partnership between our two nations to the next level. This is the intersection between the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy. During my last dinner with him, President Trump recounted his last visit to India and also his great friendship with the great Prime Minister of India. I hope the President will be visiting us soon, hopefully in the next year or two. President Trump has a habit of calling at 2 in the morning, and with the time difference in New Delhi, it might work out pretty well,” he stated in his initial remarks.
“I thank the people of India for a very warm welcome. You are a resilient people. You are innovative. You are spiritual. I look forward to meeting many of you as I travel across this incredible nation. To the staff here at the embassy, I’m excited to work with you. You and I have an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redefine diplomacy. What it can accomplish could be the most consequential global partnership of this century,” he added.
Gor also sought to allay doubts over the friendship shared by PM Modi and President Trump, asserting that it is very much real. “I’ve travelled all over the world with President Trump, and I can attest that his friendship with Prime Minister Modi is real. The United States and India are bound not just by shared interest, but by a relationship anchored at the highest levels. Real friends can disagree, but always resolve their differences in the end,” he said.
“I spoke with President Trump just yesterday, and I bring his warm wishes to all the people of India, especially his dear friend, the incredible Prime Minister Modi. As many of you might have heard, the President is quite busy, not only around the world, but also redecorating and renovating Washington, D.C. and when I spoke to the President, I shared with him that I had just driven past the beautiful India Gate. The President has embarked on building a ballroom at the White House, but one of the additional projects that’s on his list is building something similar to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and no offence to the French, but I think what we have here in Delhi might even surpass that,” Gor added.
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