South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co said yesterday that it is reviewing plans to set up a joint venture with Sony Corp to manufacture liquid-crystal-display monitors.
A Samsung spokesman told Dow Jones Newswires that the company will reveal the plans in a disclosure to the Financial Supervisory Service, but he didn't say when.
Earlier yesterday, the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported that the two electronics giants will jointly create a company that could rival LG Philips LCD, a 50-50 joint venture between South Korea's LG Electronics Inc and Philips Electronics NV of the Netherlands.
LCDs are mainly used as monitors for laptop computers but the slim, flat-panel devices are increasingly replacing the bulky, conventional cathode ray tubes used in PCs and high-priced TV sets.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted an unidentified Samsung official as saying that talks on the tie-up with Sony began six months ago and "the details are expected to be completed by the end of this year."
A Samsung spokesman declined comment, saying "nothing has been determined at this time."
The JoongAng Ilbo quoted industry sources as saying the two companies are negotiating investment terms, with Samsung possibly handling management and production, while Sony would be responsible for marketing and finance.
Yonhap said the LCDs will likely be manufactured at Samsung's plant in Asan.
Samsung is the world's largest producer of computer memory chips and the world's second largest maker of LCDs. It also makes mobile handsets, home appliances and flat panel displays.
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source