Chinese firm to open U.S. R&D center in Gwinnett

A Chinese information technology company that specializes in the travel industry plans to create 50 jobs at a new U.S. research and development center in Gwinnett County, Gov. Nathan Deal’s office said Tuesday.

Beijing-based TravelSky Technology Ltd. will open an office at Satellite Place in Duluth and invest $10 million in the center, according to a news release. The announcement comes as Deal is leading a trade delegation in Asia, and as the state is opening a new eastern China trade office in Qingdao, a key hub in the Shandong province.

TravelSky provides IT services for the aviation and tourism industries. The company has 4,000 employees, and the company and its affiliates provide services in China, Japan, Europe, Singapore, South Korea and the U.S., according to the release.

“By bringing together resources, expertise and talent from the state of Georgia, we expect to deliver exceptional IT services and expand into the global markets of travel industry,” TravelSky Executive Vice President Yuanchang Huang said in the release. The company also considered Silicon Valley, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Toronto.