BEIJING — The Chinese hosts didn't know quite what to do. They had a bus full of foreigners — Americans, at that — chanting "ÁSi, se puede!" and clapping their hands in rhythm.

Was this the new world of globalism?

It was, precisely.

The boisterous Americans were representatives of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, the second high-level U.S. labor delegation to visit Beijing in the past month. Their chanting ("Yes, we can!" in Spanish) last week was simply a way of thanking a somewhat bewildered Chinese translator and driver.

Their presence here was the latest indication that a decades-old freeze between trade unions in the two countries had begun to thaw. At least some American labor leaders seem to be road-testing a new policy: "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

"This isn't just the theory of 'Workers of the world unite,' " said Maria Elena Durazo, head of the L.A. federation. "This is about very real needs that workers in both countries have."

CHINESE GET NEW RIGHTS

The visit comes at a propitious time for China's state-sanctioned labor organization, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions. On June 30, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress passed far-reaching labor reforms that gave Chinese workers — on paper — rights that in some respects exceeded those guaranteed American workers.

The Chinese have also in recent months signed labor contracts with two giant employers who have long resisted American union drives: Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and McDonald's Corp.

"We're just really dumbfounded about how they were able to organize Wal-Mart here," said Ray Familathe, director of international affairs for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and one of the 10 members of the California delegation.

American labor has long shunned its Chinese counterparts for being pawns of the communist government — a description that is not entirely inaccurate. But with China becoming an ever more powerful player in the global economy, and the Chinese union flexing its muscle against multinational corporations, American labor leaders have grown intrigued.

Last month, Teamsters President James Hoffa led a delegation from the Change to Win labor coalition to Beijing for meetings with Chinese labor leaders. By the end of the trip, the U.S. delegates were calling for closer ties with the Chinese union.

'THE COLD WAR IS OVER'

And The Wall Street Journal recently reported that John Sweeney, head of the AFL-CIO, planned to visit China in his role as president of the Trade Union Advisory Council of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, even though the AFL-CIO itself retained a Cold War-era policy against ties with the Chinese union.

"The Cold War is over," said Dave Arian, past international president of the ILWU and a member of the L.A. group. "The economy that they have in this country is essentially the same as we have in the United States."

There would be no shortage of people prepared to argue that point, given the very different nature of the government's role in the Chinese economy — both more involved as the owner of many enterprises and less involved in regulatory enforcement.

The Chinese people were shocked in recent weeks to learn that hundreds of workers, including children, were forced to work as slaves in brick kilns in northern China while local officials looked the other way.

"Capital sees no boundaries," said Durazo. "Why should labor see a boundary?"