A printed circled board and chips are pictured at the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute TSRI in Hsinchu Science Park in Hsinchu.
A Taiwan official said on Friday that the United States convened a preliminary meeting of a working group with East Asian countries to discuss semiconductor supply chain resilience and cooperation.
We exchanged views at a first preliminary meeting and hope everyone can discuss how to collaborate in the future on supply chain problems like the ones we recently encountered, Taiwan Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua told reporters in Taipei.
Over the past two years, the global chip shortage has wreaked havoc on supply chains and forced automakers to halt production, thrust chip powerhouse Taiwan into the spotlight and made supply chain management a priority for governments around the world.
The preliminary meeting of the working group - known as 'Chip 4' - also included representatives from South Korea and Japan, Wang said.
The group is home to key Japanese suppliers of semiconductor materials and equipment, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd, the world's largest contract chip maker, South Korean memory chip giants Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and SK Hynix.
President Tsai Ing-wen told visiting U.S. lawmakers last month that Taiwan is committed to ensuring its partners have reliable supplies of semiconductors or democracy chips, and urged allies to collaborate amid increased threats from China.
China claims that Taiwan is its own territory. Taiwan's government rejects China's sovereignty claims.
Kyung Kye-hyun, who is responsible for Samsung's chip business, said earlier this month that his company expressed concerns about the proposed Chip 4 alliance, including the need for South Korea to seek China's understanding before any negotiations.