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OpinionTan Poh Hwee

For states, being part of everything doesn’t mean being part of nothing

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Tan Poh HweeTan Poh Hwee is president of the Asia Academy of Digital Economics, a Singapore-based non-profit, and a corresponding fellow of the National Academy of Artificial Intelligence. Published: 4:30pm, 25 Aug 2026

A coalition may call itself a commitment. It still has to say what that commitment is.

The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to send a letter to dozens of countries, pressing them to choose sides in the US-China artificial intelligence race. Those that join Beijing’s proposed AI cooperation framework would be excluded from the US-led AI coalition. “To be part of everything is to be part of nothing,” the draft says. An American official summarised the message more bluntly: countries cannot have it both ways.

The letter’s underlying logic reaches far beyond AI. As international institutions become more fragmented and competitive, governments increasingly face the same demand: prove the depth of your commitment by closing the door on everyone else. That is a seductive argument. It is also a dangerous way to organise international cooperation.

There are circumstances in which multiple memberships become meaningless. A government may sign declarations for diplomatic display, collect benefits without contributing, make contradictory promises or pass confidential information from one platform to another.

But the number of institutions a country joins tells us remarkably little about its reliability. One country may belong to a single alliance and still free-ride. Another may participate in several organisations while paying its dues, implementing their rules and protecting sensitive information.

The opposite of commitment is breach, not multiplicity. The crucial distinction is between obligation-based exclusivity and identity-based exclusivity.

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