Gov. Charlie Baker shakes hands with a member of a Chinese business delegation from a Shanghai industrial park, which is moving dozens of companies into a Marlborough building. (State House News Service photo by Antonio Caban)
BOSTON – A business delegation from a Shanghai industrial park plans to convert a big Marlborough building into a work space for dozens of Chinese companies setting up their U.S. headquarters.
“They bought a building in Marlborough and they will bring about 35 companies over here,” Nam Pham, the Baker administration’s assistant secretary for business development and international trade, told the News Service. Pham said the building is more than 100,000 square feet.
Speaking through an interpreter for the assembled audience of Chinese officials, Baker spoke about a Chinese railcar company establishing its U.S. headquarters in Springfield last year, Chinese investment in the redevelopment of Boston’s Pier 4 and relatively new direct flights to Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong.
One of Baker’s early events as governor last February was heralding new direct flights between Boston and Shanghai on Hainan Airways.
On Friday, China Minister of Science and Technology Ganga Wan and Zhang Qiyue, the consul general of the People’s Republic of China in New York, joined Baker and other state officials in Nurses Hall.
“Massachusetts is a golden place to do business,” said Jason Li, a Massachusetts business consultant who served as master of ceremonies for the event. He said, “They are coming to Massachusetts. They are going to do a lot of business here.”
According to literature at the event, the Administration Commission of Shanghai High-tech Industrial Parks and the U.S.-China Partnership Committee cooperated on the park, which will establish ties to local universities.
Gene Hartigan, co-chair of the U.S. China Partnership, said a private company is purchasing the building, and said the 35 to 40 companies that locate there will each be establishing their North American headquarters.
Hartigan declined to say where exactly in Marlborough the building is located because the deal is not yet complete.
According to Hartigan, the companies associated with the venture include 21st Institute of CETC, a clean energy company; Shanghai Mudan Aviation Services; and Rainbow Technology.
A pamphlet lists a life sciences and biomedicine center, an artificial intelligence center, a network information center, a medical treatment and health center, a semiconductor and integrated circuit center and a new energy and environmental protection center associated with the Shanghai Zhangjiang Boston Enterprise Park.
Sen. Bruce Tarr, of Gloucester, and Rep. Don Wong, of Saugus, were both on hand for the event, as was Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash.
Gov. Charlie Baker shakes hands with a member of a Chinese business delegation from a Shanghai industrial park, which is moving dozens of companies into a Marlborough building. (State House News Service photo by Antonio Caban) 
