The phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent sugar phosphotransferase system (sugar PTS), a major carbohydrate active transport system, catalyzes the phosphorylation of incoming sugar substrates concomitantly with their translocation across the cell membrane. The enzyme II ChbABC PTS system is involved in the transport of the chitin disaccharide N,N'-diacetylchitobiose (GlcNAc2) (PubMed:10913117). Also able to use N,N',N''-triacetyl chitotriose (GlcNAc3) (PubMed:10913117, PubMed:10913119). N(pros)-phospho-L-histidyl-[protein] + N,N'-diacetylchitobiose(out) = diacetylchitobiose-6'-phosphate(in) + L-histidyl-[protein] Forms a complex with ChbA (EIIA) (PubMed:10913119, PubMed:10913122, PubMed:19959833). ChbB is a monomer in both its unphosphorylated and phosphorylated forms (PubMed:10913122). By GlcNAc2, GlcNAc3 and beta-N,N'-diacetylchitobiose (Me-TCB). The PTS EIIB type-3 domain is phosphorylated by phospho-EIIA on a cysteinyl residue. Then, it transfers the phosphoryl group to the sugar substrate concomitantly with the sugar uptake processed by the PTS EIIC type-3 domain. Was originally (PubMed:2092358) characterized as part of a cryptic cel operon for a cellobiose degradation system. The Cel+ phenotype is due to mutations making expression chitobiose-independent and altering the substrate specificity.