The United States and Japan have launched a new dialogue over semiconductors aimed at pushing back against China and countering the disruption to supply chains caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The two nations agreed to establish a new joint research center for next-generation semiconductors during a ministerial meeting in Washington, Japanese Trade Minister Koichi Hagiuda said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi also attended the meeting, where energy and food security were also discussed.
“As the world’s first- and third-largest economies, it is critical that we work together to defend the rules-based economic order, one in which all countries can participate, compete and prosper,” Blinken told the opening session.
Blinken said that both the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine had shown the vulnerability of critical supply chains, while a number of countries were also struggling with debt burdens due to the unsustainable lending practices of the Chinese government.
“The coercive and retaliatory economic practices of the People’s Republic of China force countries into choices that compromise their security, their intellectual property, their economic independence,” he said.
Japan’s Hayashi called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a serious challenge to the international order and also talked about unfair use of economic influence in comments clearly referencing China.