최초입력 2025.03.25 11:19:28
Samsung Electronics Co. Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee visited the headquarters of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD Co. on Monday.
Lee’s visit comes just two days after his tour of another Chinese EV maker Xiaomi Corp.’s factory in Beijing on Saturday. Analysts are now paying close attention to whether Lee’s consecutive visits to Chinese EV makers will lead to the South Korean tech giant’s plan to cooperate with China in the field of automotive electronics becoming more concrete.
According to sources from the Chinese automotive industry on Monday, Lee visited BYD’s headquarters in Shenzhen on Monday after attending the China Development Forum (CDF) held over two days at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.
Lee toured the BYD headquarters and met with BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu, sources said. BYD overtook Tesla Inc. in 2024 to become the world’s top EV manufacturer and officially entered the Korean market in January 2025, accelerating its global expansion.
This is Lee’s first visit to Shenzhen in about seven years since 2018, when he also visited BYD and other Chinese companies such as Tencent Holdings Ltd. He met with Xiaomi Chairman Lei Jun at Xiaomi’s Beijing factory on the sidelines of the CDF on Saturday.
Xiaomi unveiled its first EV, the SU7 (or SU Qi in Chinese), in March 2024 and is expected to launch its first sports utility vehicle (SUV), the YU7, as early as June 2025.
Lee also attended the opening ceremony of the CDF the day before. Other global business leaders present at the ceremony included Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, Broadcom Inc. CEO Hock Tan, Qualcomm Inc. CEO Cristiano Amon, and BMW Group Chairman Oliver Zipse.
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