中国力推高端手机显示屏生产，目标客户锁定苹果

China’s campaign to become a global power in advanced manufacturing is playing out at a high-tech factory in Sichuan province, where engineers are aiming to supply display screens for Apple Inc.’s AAPL 0.09% top-tier iPhones.

中国力图成为全球制造强国的行动正落实在四川省的一个高科技工厂上，这里的工程师正在争取为苹果公司(Apple Inc., AAPL)的最高端iPhone供应显示屏。

BOE Technology Group Co. plants already make display screens for Apple’s iPads and MacBook computers, and the company is also the world’s top producer of large liquid crystal screens. Now it is seeking to supply Apple with advanced organic light-emitting diode, or OLED, smartphone screens, according to people familiar with the plans.

京东方科技集团股份有限公司(BOE Technology Group Co., 000725.SZ, 简称：京东方)的工厂已经在为苹果的iPad和MacBook供应显示屏，该公司还是全球大型液晶显示屏(LCD)的最大生产商。知情人士称，目前京东方正寻求为苹果供应先进的有机发光二极管(OLED)智能手机屏幕。

If it succeeds, BOE will not only prove its manufacturing prowess with a technically challenging product, but also will score a big win for China in its race to catch up to South Korea and Japan in advanced display-screen manufacturing.

如果成功，京东方将不仅以一款具有技术挑战性的产品证明其制造能力，而且还意味着在追赶韩国和日本的先进显示屏制造技术方面取得一大胜利。

“Many years ago, people were saying that no, the China guys can’t do it. But I think BOE makes a good example,” said David Hsieh, senior director of display research at IHS Markit, a data-analytics company.

数据分析公司IHS Markit显示屏研究高级主管David Hsieh称：“许多年前，人们会说不，这些中国人无法做这件事。但是我认为京东方树立了好榜样。”

BOE, hardly a household name in the U.S., has advanced quickly in the display industry. It became the No. 1 supplier of large LCD screens last year, up from No. 5 in 2014, according to IHS Markit.

虽然在美国并不出名，但京东方在显示屏行业发展迅速。IHS Markit的数据显示，去年该公司成为大型LCD屏的最大供应商，2014年的排名为第五。

It is the only Chinese display company that supplies Apple, which is notoriously finicky in its demands for top-quality components.

苹果在高品质元组件需求方面出了名的挑剔，而京东方是为苹果供应显示屏的唯一中国企业。

But LCD screens are easier to mass-produce than flexible OLED displays, which involve applying tiny organic materials. Even Samsung Electronics Co. , an OLED pioneer and Apple’s primary display provider, has struggled with a high rate of castoffs.

但LCD屏比弹性OLED屏容易量产，生产OLED屏需要用到微小有机材料。三星电子(Samsung Electronics Co., 005930.SE)是生产OLED屏的先行者，也是苹果最重要的屏幕提供商，但就连该公司也受到不良品率高企的困扰。

For Apple, landing BOE as an OLED display supplier provides it with an alternative to Samsung, which Apple competes with in smartphones but relies on for the OLED screens. Apple is keen to diversify its suppliers to minimize production risks and ensure price competition, industry analysts say.

对苹果来说，将京东方列为OLED屏供应商可以提供三星电子之外的另一选择。苹果与三星电子是智能手机市场的竞争对手，但在生产方面又依赖三星的OLED屏。行业分析师指出，苹果急切地想要实现供应商多元化，以最大限度降低生产风险，并确保价格方面的竞争力。

Buying display screens from BOE, which is controlled by the Beijing city government and whose biggest shareholders are state-linked companies, could help Apple stay in China’s good graces—as long as BOE can meet Apple’s high bar for quality.

从京东方购买显示屏可以帮助苹果维持与中国政府的关系，当然前提是京东方能满足苹果在质量方面的高要求。京东方是北京市政府控制下的公司，最大股东是数家有政府背景的企业。