Songjiang making 'friends' in the Bronx .

It could be the beginning of a whole new Bronx tale.

Long Wanli, deputy district mayor of the Songjiang district of Shanghai, visited the Bronx, New York on Monday to sign a friendship agreement with Borough President Ruben Diaz. The two sides agreed to promote partnerships focusing on healthcare and education.

The agreement will foster bilateral investments not only on the government level but privately owned companies will also be encouraged to seek investment and business expansion opportunities overseas.

"Our district has about 2 million people," said Long, introducing Songjiang to Diaz. "Our GDP is $15 billion with a year-to-year growth rate of more than 3.5 percent."

"This is the foundation of our investment in health, education and cultural infrastructure," Long added.

The delegation visited the Montefiore Hutchinson Campus for Ambulatory Surgery Center, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the New York Botanical Garden, all in the Bronx.

"Montefiore is a giant in the healthcare sector," said Diaz, "and they are one of the largest employers in the city."

"The Albert Einstein College is second to none in medical studies," Diaz said, adding that the school is research-intensive and dedicated to innovative biomedical investigation.

Diaz also pointed to the amount of scientific research going on at the botanical garden, including herbal medicine studies, "which we could learn more about from China," he added.

"Our government pays close attention to healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry," said Li Zheng, director of Shanghai Municipal Songjiang district commission of health and family planning. "We hope this agreement can bring advanced medical technology from the Bronx to Songjiang and improve our bilateral partnership in healthcare."

"We will focus on their leading-edge facilities and technologies during our visit this afternoon," Li said.

"It's very historic and important," said Diaz. "I'm proud to be part of this agreement. We hope it will bring more tourism, exchanges and hopefully it will translate to more jobs for the Bronx."

Ruinan Zhang in New York contributed to this story.

CHina Daily