The European Union is reportedly set to join Pax Silica, a US-led initiative aimed at coordinating export controls, investment policies and supply chains in advanced semiconductor technologies. The initiative is widely seen as part of Washington's broad effort to maintain its tech edge and slow China's rise in strategic sectors, particularly artificial intelligence. The US says Pax Silica is designed to build a more secure and resilient tech ecosystem among partner countries. However, critics argue that it represents an attempt to reorganize global tech networks along geopolitical lines, limit China's role in key industries, and consolidate US leadership in the technologies that will shape the future. What exactly is Pax Silica as the EU moves closer to joining the initiative? Will Washington be able to achieve its objective of slowing China's technological advancement? Or will such efforts instead accelerate China's drive for innovation and self-reliance?