Title: US and China Are Pushing Southeast Asia to Pick an AI Side. Will It Crack?

**Article:** Southeast Asian leaders have long insisted they will not choose sides in the rivalry between Washington and Beijing. That stance is about to face a new and difficult test. The new battleground is artificial intelligence. The United States is pushing the region to join what it calls "Pax Silica"—a plan to build an AI supply chain that excludes China. Beijing, in turn, is urging its neighbours to join its own group, the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (Waico). According to sources cited by the South China Morning Post, both powers are now actively courting Southeast Asian governments. The goal for each is the same: lock the region into its own technology bloc. For now, the region’s official position remains non-alignment. But with AI becoming central to economic growth and security, the pressure is rising. The question is how long Southeast Asia can keep refusing to pick a side.