Jacob Helberg (Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs) said Pax Silica is…

Pax Silica — the Trump administration’s multi‑nation plan to secure the AI supply chain — was the focus of the interview with Jacob Helberg, Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs. Helberg described Pax Silica as an ecosystems-based economic‑security coalition of 14 countries built around policy roadmaps and replicable industrial platforms. He detailed a flagship project with the Philippines: Manila has gifted 4,000 acres to the U.S., initially taken into custody by the State Department as a diplomatic-style "economic security zone." That site is being developed in two phases: immediate State custody and a two‑year negotiation with Filipino counterparts to lock in investor protections, tax treatment and a multi‑decade operating framework. Helberg said the initiative intentionally looks beyond semiconductors to thousands of AI inputs—precision reducers, server motors, rare-earth magnets, actuators and robotics parts—with an early emphasis on the robotics supply chain, which he described as heavily concentrated in China.

Helberg framed the U.S. approach in contrast to China’s Belt and Road Initiative: rather than state-owned, debt-financed construction, Pax Silica aims to leverage U.S. private‑sector strengths to build commercially viable platforms that can live outside government control. He highlighted a February 4 critical‑minerals summit involving over 55 countries and dozens of MOUs, pledged capital allocations to boost non‑Chinese refining and mining capacity, and expressed confidence the administration will address mineral pricing before it ends. Helberg called for venture capital and private investors to help assess execution risk and support innovation (for example, rare‑earth‑free materials) and previewed a broader June rollout of four to five major lines of effort—including logistics plays and market‑access work for U.S. companies. He also reiterated that some high‑end production (advanced fabs) will remain a U.S. priority due to talent and capital intensity, while the economic security zones are meant to create regional hubs and new market opportunities for allied producers. Throughout the conversation Helberg emphasized speed, private‑sector partnership, and a product‑centric foreign policy, and invited Silicon Valley and investors to provide input on supply‑chain, intellectual‑property and model‑distillation policy choices.