A memorandum of understanding was signed on Wednesday evening to renew friendly relations between Shanghai and San Francisco during the visit of a delegation from the US city.

Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom signed the Memorandum of Understanding for Projects of Exchange and Mutual Benefit between San Francisco and Shanghai (2006-2007) and over 100 delegation members and local officials attended the ceremony.

According to the memorandum, they will cooperate in business, culture and arts, sports, education, governments, social exchanges, legal exchanges and tourism.

During a visit by former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein in January 1980, the two cities agreed to establish friendly relations, and Feinstein, now a US Senator, and Newsom led the current delegation.

Chen Liangyu, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, met the delegation.

Feinstein said she still remembered clearly how Shanghai looked 25 years ago.

"There were no high-rises and Pudong was full of farmland," she said, adding that Shanghai then was "a sleeping giant, and today no modern cities grow more quickly."

During the visit, the delegation visited Fudan University, Shanghai City Planning Exhibition Center and Yuyuan Garden.

Newsom also spoke to Shanghai business people about San Francisco's investment environment and took part in a friendly basketball game with primary school students.

(Xinhua News Agency December 1, 2005)