© Reuters. Nishimura Yasutoshi, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tokyo, Japan, April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Androniki Christodoulou/File Photo
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan and the United States are likely to issue a joint statement on cooperation in semiconductors and high technology on Friday, the Yomiuri daily reported, without disclosing the source of the information.
Yomiuri newspaper reported that Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura and US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo will meet in the US city of Detroit, where Nishimura will attend the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Organization ministers’ meeting to agree on the contents of the joint statement.
The United States has been building support among allies to join it in taking on China in technological development at a time when Asia’s largest economy is becoming increasingly assertive on the international stage.
Washington has imposed a series of export controls on chipmaking technology to China while Beijing has banned major infrastructure operators from using products from US chipmaker Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ:).
Last week, leaders of the Group of Seven advanced democracies, including the United States and Japan, objected to what they called China’s “economic coercion” and agreed to reduce exposure to the world’s second-largest economy.
Yomiuri reported that the new Japanese-US statement is likely to include a roadmap for the development of the next generation of semiconductors as well as plans for cooperation in artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
Before meeting her Japanese counterpart, Raimondo on Thursday met with Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao in Washington where the pair exchanged views on trade, investment and export policies.
