According to industry sources familiar to the matter, BOE, which is one of the largest display panel manufacturers in China, made an offer to a Korean driver IC design firm. However, the agreement didn't materialise and they ended up signing a supply contract. The company is also said to be interested in acquiring fabless semiconductor companies. Prior to this, Tsinghua Unigroup attempted to invest in SK Hynix, but failed.
Apparently, other Chinese electronics firms are trying to acquire or do business with Korean brands through aggressive investments and M&As. The Hualian Group, is currently bidding for Faichild Semiconductor, which has a power semiconductor plant in Bucheon City. Experts say that an increase in the number of Korean firms being purchased by China could pose significant threat to Samsung.
