Wang Zhaoguo, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), met in Beijing Wednesday with trade union leaders from six central American and Caribbean nations.

Wang, also president of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), said Chinese trade unions are willing to develop friendly ties with the trade unions in the central American and Caribbean regions, on the basis of independence, equality, mutual respect, non-interference in each other's internal affairs "to jointly push the healthy development of the international trade union cause."

Jose E. Pinzon, the representative of the trade union leaders and also general secretary of the Central Trade Union of Workers of Guatemala, said that the unions would like to carry out exchanges and cooperation with Chinese trade unions and develop friendly ties in the international trade union affairs.

At the invitation of China's Ministry of Commerce and the ACFTU, a total of 16 trade union leaders from Guatemala, Panama, Dominica, Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua came to China on Monday to attend the Trade Union Seminar of China-Central American and Caribbean Nations from May 10 to 20.