India signs agreement to join U.S.-led coalition Pax Silica

India on Friday (February 20, 2026) signed agreement to join U.S.-led coalition Pax Silica “Silicon supply chain” in the presence on Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The move comes amid efforts by the two sides to finalise the proposed trade deal and move forward on several other initiatives to solidify the bilateral ties after a spell of severe strain in the relations.

The initiative was launched in December to build a secure, resilient, and innovation-driven supply chain for critical minerals and artificial intelligence (AI). India was not included in the original launch of Pax Silica, although fellow Quad members Japan and Australia, I2U2 countries Israel and UAE, and others including South Korea, Singapore, U.K. and the Netherlands were invited. 

The Pax Silica Summit was held in Washington on December 12 where partner nations signed the Pax Silica declaration. The member nations of the Pax Silica include Australia, Greece, Israel, Japan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

The declaration lays out a shared vision of deep economic and technology cooperation across supply chains — from raw materials through semiconductors and AI infrastructure — and commitment to mutual prosperity and security. One of the key pillars of Pax Silica was to establish a durable economic order to drive AI-powered prosperity across partner nations.

(With inputs from PTI)