Cheng Xiangmin, Governor of Shanghai's Putuo District, exchange gifts with Marty Markowitz, president of Brooklyn Borough, at the signing ceremony of a memorandum on establishing friendly exchange relations, on Tuesday at the Brooklyn Borough Hall in New York. Peter Abbate, New York State Assemblyman, looks on. Cheng's gift is a Ruyi, a traditional decorative object symbolizing good fortune, while Markowitz's gift being a book named Brooklyn Bridge, symbolizing a bridge of friendship. Wan Li / For China Daily

Last month, Shanghai-based Greenland Holding Group Co agreed to acquire a 70 percent stake in Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards, a 22-acre residential and commercial real estate project, which is going to be a major economic force in the city, according to Markowitz.

"I hope that in the future companies like Greenland will come to New York and Brooklyn, and not only make investments here, but also open manufacturing facilities. I'd love to see manufacturing facilities of Chinese companies here in Brooklyn," Markowitz said, "We'd love to help."

While the two page memorandum denoted wide areas being targeted for cooperation, specifics were not included. But John Wang, president of New York in China Center, which helped organize Putuo's delegation to Brooklyn, warned against dismissing a broad message.

"The purpose of the agreement really is to strengthen the contact between Brooklyn and Putuo," Wang said. "Though the agreement may be vaguely worded, the substance is the increasing contact and exchange that will result in a very concrete outcome."

Wan Li contributed to this report