Integrated circuits in a circuit board. The semiconductor industry has been focused during the US-China trade war.
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The United States thanked Taiwan on Friday for help in resolving the shortage of auto chips that has caused a major problem, but there was no discussion about prioritizing the manufacture of these chips, the Taiwanese economy minister said Wang Mei-hua after a high-level meeting.
Car factories around the world are shutting down assembly lines due to a shortage of chips, which in some cases have been exacerbated by the actions of the former US administration against Chinese chip factories.
Taiwan, home to technology companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chip maker, has become the center of efforts to address the shortage.
“The U.S. side thanked us for your help in this regard,” Wang told reporters at the meeting, who said senior executives from companies such as TSMC and Qualcomm attended.
But he said the focus of the talks was not on automatic chips and that he did not consider whether to prioritize their production.
Wang said TSMC also discussed its $ 12 billion planned new plant in the U.S. state of Arizona, though he did not give details.
TSMC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the meeting.
The shortage of auto chips has affected Volkswagen, Ford Motor, Subaru, Toyota Motor, Nissan Motor, Fiat Chrysler and other vehicle manufacturers.
The closed-door event, which was joined by the Taiwanese minister and described as “very senior US officials,” is the first high-level exchange announced between Taiwan and the Biden administration, which take office on January 20th.
The State Department said last week that Deputy Undersecretary for Trade Policy and Negotiation Matt Murray would participate.
The de facto U.S. ambassador to Taiwan, Brent Christensen, did attend and was seen getting into his car after the meeting.
Despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, the United States is Taiwan’s largest international arms and support provider, claimed by China.