Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Dec 13: The Congress on Saturday said it was “perhaps not very surprising” that India has been left out of a US-led strategic initiative aimed at building a secure global silicon supply chain, citing what it described as a “sharp downturn” in ties between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.
Reacting to reports that India is not part of the nine-nation initiative called Pax Silica, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said it would have been to India’s advantage to be included in the grouping, which seeks to reduce Chinese dominance in high-tech supply chains.
In a detailed post on X, Ramesh noted that the initiative currently includes the United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD members — the US, Japan and Australia — are part of the alliance.
“Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included,” Ramesh said, adding that the development came a day after the Prime Minister had spoken publicly about a “warm and engaging” phone call with his “once-upon-a-time good friend”.
According to the US State Department, Pax Silica is rooted in deep cooperation among trusted allies to build a secure, resilient and innovation-driven silicon supply chain. The initiative aims to reduce coercive dependencies, safeguard materials and capabilities critical to artificial intelligence, and enable aligned nations to develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The Congress leader’s remarks come amid ongoing engagement between New Delhi and Washington. Prime Minister Modi and President Trump recently discussed sustaining momentum in the bilateral economic partnership, even as negotiators from both sides concluded talks on a proposed trade agreement that could ease the impact of steep US tariffs on Indian goods.
India, meanwhile, is set to host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of ‘People, Planet and Progress’. The summit, announced by Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first global AI summit to be held in the Global South.
Despite these engagements, the Congress maintained that India’s exclusion from Pax Silica reflects missed strategic opportunities at a time when global technology alliances are rapidly taking shape.