Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it is seeking to build a new production line in China to manufacture flash memory chips in response to rising demand for mobile devices.

The plant, if approved by the South Korean government, would be Samsung's second overseas chip manufacturing site. The site will produce 20nm NAND flash devices and "will enable us to meet fast growing demand from our customers and at the same time strengthen our overall competitiveness in the memory industry," the president of Samsung's memory business, Jun Dong-soo, said in a statement. The company said it hoped to have the new line operating by 2013.

The company currently operates NAND production lines in Austin, Texas.

Samsung is also planning to build a flat-screen production base in China.