Nearly 40 Chinese and foreign trade union leaders attended a forum Monday in Beijing, vowing to strengthen cooperation in the face of economic globalization.

At the 2006 International Forum on Economic Globalization and Trade Unions, which opened on Monday morning, the leaders discussed how to coordinate labor relations, how to effectively safeguard the rights and interests of migrant workers, and how to promote the international trade union movement.

In his address at the opening ceremony, Wang Zhaoguo, president of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), said that all trade unions, big or small, should promote justice and fairness on the basis of independence, mutual respect, equality and democratic consultations.

All trade unions are entitled to develop in their own way and should respect others' choices, he said.

Wang, also vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, called on trade unions from all countries to strengthen cooperation so as to promote mutual understanding and maintain the diversity of cultural traditions.

The ACFTU will carry out friendly exchanges with trade unions from other countries and regions on the basis of independence, equality, mutual respect and non-interference in the other country's internal affairs, Wang said.

To better cope with the challenges of economic globalization, the ACFTU has held two international forums with other foreign trade unions -- in Beijing and Shanghai -- in the last two years.

Leaders of some international and regional trade unions including the World Federation of Trade Unions, the Organization of African Trade Union Unity and the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions attended the forum.

Source: Xinhua