TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua (王美花) will discuss the semiconductor supply chain with the United States and representatives from Taiwan’s main chipmakers in a video meeting scheduled for Friday morning (Feb. 5).

The closed-door discussion is the latest step in an attempt to solve a global shortage of semiconductors in the automotive industry. The Taiwanese corporations at the meeting will include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), MediaTek Inc., and Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. (ASE), CNA reported.

Friday’s video conference will be the first meeting by a bilateral working group focused on supply chains, one of seven such groups set up as the result of an agreement reached by Taiwan and the U.S. last year.

While enterprises are to be the main participants in the meeting, Wang will also attend, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Thursday (Feb. 4). As the shortage of automotive chips has become a global talking point, the issue will feature prominently on Friday, reports said.

Future working groups will reportedly turn their attention to electric vehicles, medical equipment, and 5G technology.