Shanghai (CNS) �C The University of California, Berkeley signed an agreement on November 11 with the city of Shanghai to open a campus in Pudong's Zhangjiang Hi-tech Area.

The first phase of the campus will focus on research in telecommunications, green technology and manufacturing, and biotechnology under the auspices of UC Berkeley's famed engineering school.

UCB's Shanghai campus will collaborate on its curriculum with Shanghai Jiaotong University and Fudan University, according to the deal. A consultation service company will also be established to service UCB and other universities or scientific research institutes in terms of policies, funds and business consultations.

Zhangjiang is regarded as the Chinese "Silicon Valley," so as one of the original Silicon Valley's esteemed universities, UCB's all-round cooperation with the Zhangjiang Hi-tech Area will boost creativity for regional development, said Ding Lei, general manager of the Shanghai Zhangjiang Group.

Asia has been enjoying growth in the global economy, so hopefully UCB can spread Silicon Valley culture to Shanghai, added Ding.

The cooperation with Shanghai Zhangjiang has tightened ties between UCB and China, said Berkeley Chancellor Robert Joseph Birgeneau, and UBC will attach increasing importance to further cooperation with China on a global scale.