2024-07-21 11:59:23
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinkenannounced a agreement with 11 countries between them Mexico to develop semiconductors in the region (microchips) and stop depending on China.
With Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and other neighboring nations, USA seeks to move forward with technology.
The announcement comes as the United States and its main rival China are engaged in a battle to dominate these essential components for many electronic devices such as phones, computers, drones and military equipment.
“Today I am pleased to announce… the semiconductor initiative of the Western Hemisphere“that will boost “countries’ capacity to assemble, test and package semiconductors, starting with Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica,” Blinken said at the start of the meeting.
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The project, carried out in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), will begin in 2024 and will continue until 2026, the State Department reported.
The government of US President Joe Biden wants to promote production and supply in allied countries such as those of the Alliance for Economic Prosperity in the Americas (APEP).
This forum, which started in 2022 to promote development and somehow counteract Chinese influence in Latin Americais made up of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Uruguay and Barbados.
Since its creation, the Alliance has focused on diversifying and strengthening supply chains, essential for regional development and which have suffered serious disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Covid-19.
“The groundwork has been laid for $3 billion worth of high-profile, sustainable and strategically significant projects, improving the backbone of our supply chains,” Blinken said.
Technical assistance and financing have so far been provided to attract private sector investment and infrastructure in the Americas.
Among the achievements he also highlighted the creation in Costa Rica of a center of excellence to prepare workers from all over America to be more competitive in the high-tech fields of the future, from cybersecurity to artificial intelligence.
The United States, Canada and Uruguay have also created, he said, a regional accelerator to recruit and train 715 entrepreneurs from across the region.
The development of clean energy to promote decarbonisation is another of APEP’s objectives.
“We have created a working group on clean hydrogen” to contribute to the growth of this renewable energy source on the continent, the Secretary of State recalled.
Green hydrogen does not emit greenhouse gases and offers the opportunity to decarbonise sectors where electrification would not be viable, such as industry or heavy transport.
It also improves energy security, as it can be stored for long periods, and food security, as it can be used to produce green ammonia, which is used as a fertilizer.
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APEC countries will hold a summit next year in Costa Rica, following the one in Washington last November, and are “eager to add more partners,” Blinken said.
The foreign ministers will surely take advantage of the opportunity to address one of the region’s concerns: irregular migration, which has become a central issue in the campaign for the November elections in the United States.
LEO
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2024-07-21 11:59:23