Samsung Electronics mulls LCD plant in China

Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it is considering building an advanced liquid crystal display plant in China, but added no decision has been made, according to Yonhap News.

The company made the announcement in a regulatory filing, responding to a request earlier in the day by bourse operator Korea Exchange to make public its position on recent media reports.

The English-language daily Korea Times and vernacular Seoul Economic Daily reported that Samsung Electronics is in talks with the Chinese government to build an 8th-generation panel plant in Suzhou, southeastern China, aiming to bring it on-line by 2011.

The report came a few days after LG Display Co., the world`s second-largest flat panel maker, announced it is pushing to build its first LCD plant in China.

Shares of Samsung Electronics closed at 764.000 won on Friday, down 0.39 percent from the previous session.

Korean-based research firm Display Bank predicted in its report last week that the Chinese LCD TV market will exceed the North American market by 2011, largely due to the aggressive economic stimulus packages implemented by the Chinese central government.