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Ministry of Digital Development and Information
Parliament

MDDI's Response to PQ on Singapore's Position on the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Association

9 September 2026

Parliament Sitting on 9 September 2026

Question for Oral Answer

*13. Dr Neo Kok Beng asked the Minister for Digital Development and Information what is Singapore’s strategic option and positioning with respect to the Pax Silica AI coalition and the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation.

Answer

  1. Mr Speaker, my reply will address the question raised by Dr Neo Kok Beng in today's Order Paper, as well as the question by Mr Louis Chua filed for tomorrow's sitting relating to the same subject. If the MP is satisfied with the reply, he may wish to withdraw his question after this session.

  1. To Mr Chua’s specific questions, Singapore has received an invitation to participate in the World AI Cooperation Organisation (WAICO). There is no ASEAN position on either WAICO or Pax Silica. Singapore will therefore consider the invitation alongside our broader engagements with China and other international AI cooperation initiatives.

  2. More broadly, to Dr Neo’s question on Singapore’s strategic positioning, we engage different countries through a range of multilateral, plurilateral and bilateral platforms. The engagements arise at different times, serve different purposes, and evolve as our interests and circumstances change.

  3. For example, a few years ago, Singapore initiated a digital pillar for the Forum of Small States, a grouping of 108 UN-member states first founded in 1992, which also looks at capacity-building through sharing experiences among its members. Earlier this year, I became a founding member of the AI for Good Global Commission initiated by the International Telecommunications Union; it has members from both the US and China.

  4. Bilaterally, we have a Cyber Dialogue with the US. With China, we have a Digital Policy Dialogue.

  5. These various mechanisms are not identical. Whether we participate in any particular initiative depends on its objectives, the substantive areas of common interest, how it complements our existing engagements, and Singapore’s overall interests.

  6. It is therefore less meaningful to make one-to-one comparisons between individual initiatives. What matters most is the overall relationships we have with each of our partners, and how we can continue to work with them in ways that advance Singapore’s interests and contribute constructively to international cooperation on AI.