Norway is set to formally join Pax Silica, the US-led initiative designed to secure critical mineral supply chains and reduce Western dependence on China across artificial intelligence, clean energy and advanced technology sectors, with the signing scheduled for Wednesday.
The Norwegian government confirmed the move following a report by Semafor that Washington planned to add the Nordic country this week as part of a broader effort to counter China’s dominance in key materials and infrastructure. Launched in December, Pax Silica is a central pillar of the Trump administration’s allied coordination strategy, encompassing critical minerals access, supply chain resilience and technology value chain integration.
Norway’s accession brings two assets of particular strategic interest. The country is home to the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund — the Government Pension Fund Global — and holds significant critical mineral reserves, including the Fen rare earth deposit recently confirmed as Europe’s largest. “Norway is home to the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, and the depth of that institutional capital combined with critical mineral reserves are important,” said Jacob Helberg, the US State Department’s undersecretary for economic affairs.
Norwegian Trade and Industry Minister Cecilie Myrseth framed the decision in terms of economic opportunity as much as geopolitical alignment. “This initiative can give Norwegian companies better access to advanced technological value chains,” she said, pointing to the potential for deeper integration with allied economies.
Norway joins a coalition that already includes the UK, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Israel, Australia, the UAE, India, the Netherlands, Qatar, the Philippines and Sweden, which signed on in March. The expanding membership reflects growing Western urgency to build coordinated alternatives to Chinese dominance across mineral supply chains that underpin semiconductor manufacturing, battery production and clean energy infrastructure.
