China intends to purchase US$4.4 billion in Taiwan-made flat panels this year, a representative of the China Video Industry Association (CVIA, 中國電子視像行業協會) said yesterday.
That figure was twice the amount announced at the end of last year, CVIA secretary-general Bai Weimin (白為民) said at a flat-panel display seminar in Taipei.
“The US$2.2 billion panel procurement budget will not be enough to meet the expected increase in demand in the second half of this year. We will therefore add US$2.2 billion to this year’s budget,” Bai said.
A Chinese color TV procurement delegation consisting of nine leading Chinese color TV companies including Hisense Group (海信集團), Haier Co (海爾集團) and TCL Corp, arrived in Taiwan on Monday to procure flat panels at the invitation of Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA, 外貿協會).
These Chinese color TV companies share between 70 percent and 80 percent of the Chinese market, Bai said.
“We hope the Chinese companies can tilt more toward Taiwanese companies, that they will buy more panels from Taiwanese companies,” he said.
Bai also called on the flat-panel industry on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to join hands to complement each other.
TAITRA chairman Wang Chih-kang (王志剛) said 17 million color TVs were sold in China last year. It is estimated that total sales of color TVs in China will reach 37 million units in 2012. This translates into an average growth rate of 30 percent annually.
This year alone, growth is already 77 percent, aided by China’s home-appliance subsidy program, Wang said.
Sichuan Changhong Electric Co (四川長虹), which aims to sell 7 million TV sets this year from 2 million last year, said it could buy stakes in AU Optronics Corp (友達光電) and two other flat-panel makers.
“We have exchanged thoughts on technology co-development and financial investment,” Xu Ming (徐明), general manager of Changhong’s multimedia division, said yesterday. China’s second-largest TV maker was also in talks with Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp (奇美電子) and Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd (中華映管), Xu said.
AU Optronics and Chi Mei declined to comment on Xu’s remarks. Chunghwa Picture didn’t return calls seeking comment.
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