By Iclal Turan
WASHINGTON (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new program Wednesday to expand semiconductor manufacturing in Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama.
The Western Hemisphere Semiconductor Initiative was created “thanks to funding from the bipartisan CHIPS Act.”
The “initiative will turbocharge countries’ capacity to assemble, to test, and to package semiconductors, beginning with Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica," Blinken said in remarks at the Americas Partnership ministerial plenary meeting in Washington.
"The United States will also hold a symposium in Mexico this September – following on a very successful conference in January in Costa Rica – to identify ways that the region can play a larger role in the global supply chain for this critical technology," he said.
"If we follow through on the full promise of this partnership, I think we have a historic opportunity to help realize the aspirations of our people, to strengthen their faith in our democracies, and to build a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous region for everyone," he added.
The meeting, with attendance from 11 countries, was held as part of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity, which was launched by US President Joe Biden during the 2022 Americas Summit in Los Angeles.
The group comprises the US, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Uruguay.