Key Points

• South Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina attended the second Pax Silica Summit in Washington this week, according to the foreign ministry.
• The summit brought together partner nations including Australia, Finland, India, Japan and Britain to discuss artificial intelligence and semiconductor supply chains.
• The U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative is a coalition of more than 20 partner nations focused on securing the global technology supply chain.
• Officials discussed intergovernmental and industry cooperation to build an ecosystem that supports AI innovation.
• The second summit also produced wider alignment on a joint statement on AI opportunity and pro-growth AI policy, with additional partners joining the declaration.
• The U.S. State Department said Pax Silica aims to strengthen economic security across critical minerals, energy, semiconductors and other strategic supply chains.

Washington, D.C. (Evening Washington News) June 27, 2026 – South Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina attended the second Pax Silica Summit in Washington this week, where partner nations discussed cooperation in artificial intelligence and semiconductor supply chains, the foreign ministry said on Saturday. As reported by the U.S. State Department, the summit is part of Pax Silica, a U.S.-led strategic initiative that brings together more than 20 partner nations to secure the global technology supply chain.

The foreign ministry said the first day of the second summit, held from Thursday to Friday, included participants from Australia, Finland, India, Japan and Britain, among others.

The discussions focused on intergovernmental and industry cooperation aimed at building an ecosystem that facilitates AI innovation.

The summit comes at a time when governments are trying to reduce vulnerabilities in advanced technology supply chains and expand cooperation in sectors tied to national security and economic competitiveness.

What did Kim Jina discuss at the summit?

According to the foreign ministry, Kim Jina joined discussions on AI and semiconductor supply chains during the Washington meeting.

The summit’s agenda centred on how partner governments and private companies can work together more closely on trusted technology networks.

The foreign ministry did not publish a full separate transcript of Kim’s remarks in the material available here, but the summit itself was framed around supply-chain resilience and AI innovation.

What is Pax Silica?

As stated by the U.S. State Department, Pax Silica is the department’s flagship effort on artificial intelligence and supply chain security.

The initiative was launched by Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg in December 2025 and is intended to build a new economic-security consensus among allies and trusted partners.

Its focus spans critical minerals, energy, semiconductors and other parts of the technology chain that affect AI development.

Which countries took part?

The summit involved countries including Australia, Finland, India, Japan and Britain, according to the foreign ministry.

The State Department said close to three dozen Pax Silica economies signed a joint statement on AI opportunity, reinforcing a pro-growth and pro-innovation approach to regulation.

It also said ten additional partners signed the Pax Silica Declaration, bringing the total number of signatories to 24.

Which new signatories joined?

The new signatories named by the State Department were Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, the European Union, Germany, Greece, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands and Panama.

The department also said Taiwan endorsed the declaration principles through a joint statement on Pax Silica and U.S.-Taiwan economic security cooperation.

These additions suggest the coalition is widening beyond its earlier core group of trusted partners.

What outcomes were announced?

The State Department said the summit produced a Joint Statement on AI Opportunity, which aligned signatories around a pro-growth, pro-innovation regulatory approach. It said the statement aims to empower builders, startups, developers and the private sector while securing global AI supply chains.

The department also announced plans for a competitive funding opportunity for a new Pax Silica Artificial Intelligence Assistance Project for Panama and other partners shipping high-value AI supply-chain products through Panama.

The department added that the project would help develop an AI supply-chain credentialing and provenance platform to speed the movement of semiconductors, AI infrastructure, critical minerals and related products.

On the final day of the summit, Helberg also unveiled a workforce development initiative with Stanford University called Foundry School.

The program is designed to train founders, CEOs and advanced manufacturing leaders through a seminar series and a curriculum that partner economies can adapt in their own classrooms.

Why does this matter?

The summit highlights how AI policy is increasingly linked to supply-chain security and industrial strategy.

By bringing together governments and industry, Pax Silica is trying to lower barriers in the movement of critical components needed for AI systems and related manufacturing.

The focus on trusted supply chains suggests that participating countries want to reduce dependence on fragile or opaque routes for strategic technologies.

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Background

Pax Silica emerged as a U.S. effort to create a coalition around secure and resilient technology supply chains, especially for AI-related industries.

The first summit laid the groundwork by connecting allies and partners on shared economic-security concerns.

The second summit expanded the initiative through a larger signatory base, a new joint statement and new programmes such as PaxPass and Foundry School.

Prediction

For governments and technology industries, this development could accelerate cooperation on AI governance, semiconductor logistics and workforce training.

For partner countries, the likely effect is stronger access to shared supply-chain frameworks and more structured collaboration on advanced manufacturing. For businesses involved in chips, critical minerals and AI infrastructure, the summit may lead to faster cross-border procedures and clearer policy alignment over time.