SHANGHAI, July 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese patients may receive treatment in the United States, according to a new agreement between a leading hospital in China's largest city Shanghai and a Boston-based hospital.

    Shanghai Huashan Hospital affiliated to the prestigious Fudan University forged sisterly ties with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston Thursday in a deal that aims to help the Chinese hospital reach international standards in medical servicesand technological development, said Xu Jianguang, president of Huashan Hospital.

    Xu and his US counterpart, Dr. Peter L. Slavin, have agreed to collaborate in medical research and training of doctors.

    While most exchanges would be carried out on a common information technology platform for distance training and consultation, Xu said some Chinese patients may be sent to the United States for diagnosis and treatment, if their cases were complicated and they could afford the trip.

    Huashan Hospital was opened in 1907 as the first medical institution to be sponsored by the Red Cross Society of China in Shanghai. It received 1.57 million patients in 2003.

    Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is a leading general hospital in the United States and performs more than 32,000 operations each year. Enditem