South Korea's Samsung announced on August 16 that it plans to make China its second R&D base and its global R&D center.

At a conference on R&D strategy in China, which ended on August 16, Lee Yoon-woo, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., said that China is of strategic importance, gathering R&D centers from across the world. Samsung wants to build its global R&D center in China.

Lee said Samsung will strengthen its institutes established in China and R&D centers and promote the collaborations between them.

Up to now, Samsung has had four research institutions in Beijing, Suzhou and Nanjing in east China's Jiangsu Province and Shanghai. Plus those in over 20 R&D centers, the researchers have exceeded 2,000.

By the end of 2004, Samsung had totally invested US$4 billion in China. Its turnover in China totaled US$24 billion in 2004, accounting four 22 percent of its total overseas. Its turnover on the Chinese mainland was US$16 billion and the export volume was US$9.2 billion.

By People's Daily Online