US SECRETARY of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg is scheduled to visit the Philippines this week for talks on the Pax Silica economic partnership, the US Embassy in the Philippines said.
In a statement on Saturday, the embassy said Mr. Helberg will visit the Philippines and Singapore from May 17 to 21 to meet with government officials and private sector representatives.
The Philippines joined the Pax Silica bloc, a Washington-led initiative that seeks to build the global artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain.
“(Mr. Helberg) will advance the initiative’s efforts on the ground and visit the site for discussions regarding the planned economic security zone in the Philippines,” the US Embassy said.
As part of the Pax Silica initiative, a 1,618-hectare AI-native hub will rise inside New Clark City in Tarlac, which will support the production of inputs for AI and advanced manufacturing.
The Philippines, which joined Pax Silica in April, is seeking to leverage the partnership to facilitate its semiconductor and electronics industries’ evolution towards advanced manufacturing.
The visit forms part of US efforts to explore economic security and supply chain resilience in the Indo-Pacific region amid growing competition in the global tech industry.
Mr. Helberg will also to meet officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to discuss efforts to link the global tech ecosystem, it said.
At the US-ASEAN AI Ministerial Roundtable in Singapore, Mr. Helberg will lead talks on potential AI collaboration via the US AI Exports Program, the US Embassy said. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz
