SHANGHAI, March 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation ("SMIC") (NYSE: SMI; SEHK: 981) the largest and most advanced pure-play foundry provider in China has appointed Dr. Zixue Zhou as the new chairman and executive director of SMIC. Dr. Zhou's position as chairman will become effective as of today.

Dr. Zhou, aged 58, has had many years of experience in the electronics information industry. Prior to joining SMIC, he had served as the Chief Economist in the Ministry of Industry and Information of China (MIIT); in addition, he held previous positions including, Director of the Ministry of Information Industry, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Electronics Industry, other Deputy Director positions, as well as Adjunct Professor at prestigious universities. Dr. Zhou also holds a master's degree in engineering management from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China and a PhD in Economic History from Central China Normal University.

The former Chairman Mr. Wenyi Zhang has decided not to serve as a Board member due to his age, and Mr. Zhang has been appointed as Honorary Chairman and advisor.

"I am honoured to serve as the Chairman of SMIC and recognize the challenges ahead," said Dr. Zhou. "For almost four years, Mr. Zhang and Dr. Chiu has helped SMIC undergo rapid development, achieving eleven consecutive quarters of profitability, and drawing the attention of the industry. I'd like to thank Mr. Zhang and Dr. Chiu for all their contributions in laying a strong foundation for SMIC's future. I will work together with all members of the Board, management team and staff to promote the company's development and growth, to build value for our shareholders, employees and other stakeholders."

Mr. Zhang commented, "I am deeply grateful for the huge support during my time as Chairman at SMIC from shareholders, board members, management team and employees. In the future, I will continue to focus in the rapid development in SMIC and China's semiconductor industry."

Dr. Tzu-Yin Chiu, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of SMIC remarked, "On behalf of all the board members and employees, we want to express our sincere appreciation to Mr. Zhang for all his dedication and contribution over the past few years. He has successfully brought SMIC to a new stage of development and furthered the enhancement of China's semiconductor industry. At the same time, we'd like to welcome on board Dr. Zhou. With his extensive knowledge in the electronics industry, and rich government and management experience, his leadership will continue to drive the company's development and further enhance SMIC's leading position in the IC industry."

About SMIC

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation ("SMIC") (NYSE: SMI; SEHK: 981) is one of the leading semiconductor foundries in the world and the largest and most advanced foundry in mainland China. SMIC provides integrated circuit (IC) foundry and technology services at 0.35-micron to 28-nanometer. Headquartered in Shanghai, China, SMIC has a 300mm wafer fabrication facility (fab) and a 200mm mega-fab in Shanghai; a 300mm mega-fab and a second majority owned 300mm fab under development for advance nodes in Beijing; and 200mm fabs in Tianjin and Shenzhen. SMIC also has marketing and customer service offices in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Taiwan, and a representative office in Hong Kong. For more information, please visit www.smics.com.

Safe Harbor Statements

(Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995)

This document contains, in addition to historical information, "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on SMIC's current assumptions, expectations and projections about future events. SMIC uses words like "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "project" and similar expressions to identify forward looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates reflecting the best judgment of SMIC's senior management and involve significant risks, both known and unknown, uncertainties and other factors that may cause SMIC's actual performance, financial condition or results of operations to be materially different from those suggested by the forward-looking statements including, among others, risks associated with cyclicality and market conditions in the semiconductor industry, intense competition, timely wafer acceptance by SMIC's customers, timely introduction of new technologies, SMIC's ability to ramp new products into volume, supply and demand for semiconductor foundry services, industry overcapacity, shortages in equipment, components and raw materials, availability of manufacturing capacity, financial stability in end markets and intensive intellectual property litigation in high tech industry.

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SMIC Contact Information:

English Media
Michael Cheung
Tel: +86-21-3861-0000 x16812
Email: Michael_Cheung@smics.com

Chinese Media
Jane Tang
Tel: +86-21-3861-0000 x10088
Email: Jane_Tang@smics.com