The United States will not announce its proposed Pax Silica economic security zone during the ASEAN Summit in Manila, the US ambassador to the Philippines has said. Ambassador Lee Lipton said no announcement on the initiative was ever planned for the summit, which takes place in Manila this month. His clarification followed reports that the signing of a framework deal for the zone could be one of the summit's headline moments.

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority, the Philippine agency overseeing the site, had floated the idea that the signing could feature among the summit's major developments. Lipton said decisions on the proposed zone would be made in full consultation with the Philippine government once discussions on its scope and potential impact had concluded. He gave no new date for a decision.

Pax Silica is a US-backed initiative designed to secure supply chains for artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing. The Philippine project centres on a 4,000-acre industrial site at New Clark City in Tarlac, intended to turn the country into a hub for semiconductor manufacturing and other advanced industries. The Philippines joined the initiative on 16 April, and the site was described at the time as the first of its kind under the programme.

The proposal has drawn criticism in the Philippines over environmental concerns and the possible displacement of Indigenous communities living near the site. Those concerns are among the issues still under discussion between Washington and Manila. The delay leaves the timetable for the zone open, with the framework deal now waiting on the outcome of the impact talks rather than the summit calendar.

[Source: vimidinews.com](https://vimidinews.com/news/no-pax-silica-announcement-planned-during-asean-summit-us-envoy-says/) | [Source: context.ph](https://context.ph/2026/11/07/us-rules-out-pax-silica-announcement-at-asean-summit/)