The South Korean electronics giant LG Display plans to build an advanced liquid-crystal display factory in Guangzhou to capitalize on the China's fast-growing flat-screen television market, the company reported yesterday.

The world's second-largest liquid-crystal display (LCD) maker said in a statement that the company signed a preliminary agreement on Friday with the Guangzhou city government to build the new plant, which is expected to be the biggest in China.

The deal, which is still awaiting approval by the South Korean government and the board of Seoul-based LG Display, is estimated to cost as much as US$4 billion, according to Maeil Business Newspaper.

LG Display did not disclose details about the new plant, except that it would be an eighth-generation facility capable of making large-size television panels.

That is three generations ahead of China's most advanced display manufacturing plant, which is owned by domestic LCD maker BOE Technology Group.

Global LCD television shipments increased 27 percent to 30 million in the second quarter, led by demand from China and North America, the research firm DisplaySearch reported last week.

The research firm estimated that the number of LCD TVs sold in China will likely jump 76 percent to 23.6 million this year.

The government's recent effort to offer subsidies to television buyers in rural areas is expected to further stimulate the market.

Analysts said the current financial crisis might encourage domestic electronics goods makers to reconsider their traditional way of importing expensive LCD displays from overseas providers.

In June, China's largest LCD panel maker, BOE Technology Group, raised US$1.76 billion through share placement to expand its LCD production capacity.

The company is building a sixth-generation factory in Hefei in Anhui province. BOE also plans to build a new LCD production line in Beijing next year the company reported.

The world's largest LCD maker, Samsung Electronics, and Japan's largest LCD TV maker, Sharp Corp, also have expressed interest in building factories in China.

(China Daily August 26, 2009)