Samsung Electronics’ chip production plant in Xian, China. (image: Samsung Electronics)
SEOUL, April 20 (Korea Bizwire) — Samsung Electronics Co. is in talks with the Chinese government over sending semiconductor engineers to the company’s Chinese plants.
Since the outbreak of the new coronavirus infection, COVID-19, China has not allowed foreigners to enter the country except in special cases.
The world’s largest memory chip maker and the South Korea’s foreign ministry are coordinating dates and the number of people to be dispatched with the Chinese government, industry insiders said Sunday.
Samsung engineers entering China will be quarantined for seven to 14 days depending on their health after entering the country.
If the Chinese government finally allows Samsung engineers to enter the country, they are expected to be deployed in the expansion of the company’s second Xian plant.
Samsung is currently mass-producing NAND flash memory chips for smartphones, PCs and servers in Xian, the capital of Shaanxi Province in central China.
The company’s first Xian plant has been running since 2014 after two years of construction.
In 2017, Samsung announced plans to invest a total of US$7 billion to build its second Xian plant.
An additional investment of $8 billion was announced last year, to be used for a project to ramp up production lines.
Meanwhile, before Samsung’s talks with Chinese authorities, about 290 LG Display Co. engineers entered Guangzhou, China, on a chartered Korean Air flight from Incheon International Airport on March 26.
After going through a period of quarantine, they are now working at a major display panel maker’s Guangzhou plant.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
