South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin greets U.S.President Joe Biden as he arrives at Osan Air Base, Friday, May 20, 2022, in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
PYEONGTAEK, South Korea (AP) — President Joe Biden is opening his trip to Asia with a focus on the computer chip shortage that has bedeviled the world economy. He will tour a Samsung computer chip plant that could serve as model for a $17 billion semiconductor factory that the Korean electronics company is building outside Austin, Texas. The trip is also a nod to one of Biden’s key domestic priorities: increasing the supply of computer chips. A semiconductor shortage last year hurt the availability of autos, kitchen appliances and other goods. This supply crunch caused higher inflation that has crippled Biden’s public approval and caused his administration to focus on increasing domestic manufacturing.
