A subsidiary of Pasadena-based Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has acquired a controlling interest in China’s Suzhou Han’s Chemical Engineering Co. Ltd., a firm that holds special licenses needed to perform engineering work for chemical industry projects, Jacobs announced Wednesday.

The Chinese company, which will now be called Jacobs (Suzhou) Engineering Co. Ltd., also has a license to provide project management services that Jacobs’ Shanghai office is not licensed to offer.

The acquisition should give Jacobs, already one of the largest engineering firms in the world, the ability to compete for more work in China, Jacobs Vice President Kevin McMahon said in a statement announcing the deal. The acquisition boosts Jacobs’ employee headcount in China to more than 500 and will allow the firm to offer Chinese customers “a complete spectrum of services for all types of chemical and petrochemical projects,” according to Wednesday’s announcement.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.