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A Republican candidate for governor in Massachusetts is facing renewed scrutiny over his role in bringing a Chinese state-owned manufacturer into the Boston subway system, a decision that represents both a financial debacle and a potential national security risk.<\/span><\/p>\n Brian Shortsleeve, who is running in a three-way GOP campaign ahead of the September 1 primary election, has built much of his campaign around his tenure as chief administrator of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. But newly surfaced research obtained exclusively by The Daily Wire is casting that record in a harsher light, focusing on a $277 million contract awarded during his leadership to China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation, or CRRC.<\/span><\/p>\n At the time, Shortsleeve defended the deal as fiscally responsible. \u201cThe decision we made today was a good business decision,\u201d he said in December 2016, touting the new Chinese-built subway cars as a cost-saving measure for the struggling transit system. He also appeared at a 2016 ceremony marking construction at CRRC\u2019s Springfield facility, publicly celebrating the partnership.<\/span><\/p>\n That relationship has since become a liability, with the project becoming plagued by delays and mechanical issues, and only a fraction of the promised cars delivered years behind schedule. In 2023, CRRC reportedly submitted unfinished cars for inspection, and in August 2025, federal agents detained several new MBTA subway car shells at the Port of Philadelphia amid an investigation into potential forced labor connections.<\/span><\/p>\n Security concerns surrounding CRRC have also grown over time. Lawmakers and industry experts have warned for years that Chinese state-owned rail manufacturers could pose a surveillance or sabotage threat to U.S. infrastructure. A 2019 report<\/a> in T<\/span>he New York Times<\/span> highlighted fears that subway cars built by CRRC might be equipped with technology capable of tracking passengers\u2019 movements or communications.<\/span><\/p>\n Those concerns have been echoed at the federal level. In a <\/span>2019 op-ed<\/span><\/a>, then Florida Senator Marco Rubio warned that CRRC is part of a broader effort by the Chinese Communist Party to expand its influence in critical infrastructure sectors, calling it \u201cone tactic China is employing to supplant America.\u201d Federal agencies have since classified CRRC among Chinese military-linked companies, and Congress has moved to restrict federal funding for transit projects involving such firms.<\/span><\/p>\n Independent research has reinforced those warnings. A <\/span>report<\/span><\/a> published in an industry magazine described CRRC as having \u201cindelible ties to the Chinese Communist Party,\u201d noting that executives often serve dual roles as corporate leaders and party officials. The company, the report found, operates in close alignment with Beijing\u2019s industrial strategy, including efforts to dominate global transportation networks under initiatives like \u201cMade in China 2025.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Rail Security Alliance <\/span>has called<\/span><\/a> the MBTA\u2019s contract with CRRC a \u201cfiasco,\u201d citing delays, alleged coverups, and mechanical failures. The group and others have argued that Chinese state-owned enterprises benefit from heavy government subsidies, allowing them to undercut competitors and win contracts that may not serve long-term U.S. interests.<\/span><\/p>\n All of that is now intersecting with Shortsleeve\u2019s political ambitions; the 53-year-old Marine veteran and Harvard MBA is positioning himself as a fiscal conservative capable of fixing Massachusetts\u2019 economic challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n