China's semiconductor ambitions within its reach

The obstacles are formidable but Samsung shows it is possible to leapfrog the incumbent.

US President Joe Biden visiting a semiconductor factory at the Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus outside Seoul last month. PHOTO: REUTERS

When Mr Joe Biden landed in South Korea last month - his first official trip to the country as US president - he headed straight for Samsung's massive semiconductor factory outside Seoul.

There, he met with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Samsung Electronics vice-chairman Lee Jae-yong, and praised the construction of a US$17 billion (S$23.6 billion) Samsung semiconductor factory in Texas.

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