President Joe Biden will open his trip to Asia with a focus on the U.S. tech sector, touring a Samsung computer chip plant on Friday that will serve as model for a $17 billion semiconductor factory that the Korean electronics company is building outside Austin, Texas.
The visit is also a nod to one of Biden's key domestic priorities of 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.
Biden will grapple with a multitude of foreign policy issues during his six-day visit to South Korea and Japan, but he also crafted an itinerary clearly meant to tend to the concerns of his home audience as well.
