After the appearance of blue barriers, it caused a fierce debate in the international community, and formed two different camps, developed countries and developing countries. Developed countries generally believe that the blue trade barrier is not a trade barrier, but a blue trade system that is conducive to the construction of human rights in all countries and the improvement of the treatment of employees in enterprises, and should be promoted and unified in all countries of the world. On the contrary, developing countries hold diametrically opposite views on this. They generally believe that the determination of foreign trade orders based on the improvement of labor treatment is a trade protection measure, which hinders the development of trade liberalization and greatly reduces the competitive advantage of developing countries in international trade. They do not support the blue clause to enter into trade contracts or any multilateral or bilateral trade agreements and treaties. After the establishment of WTO, the debate between developed and developing countries has become more intense, but this debate has not affected the continued development of blue trade barriers. On the contrary, the blue trade barrier presents a combination of "folk barriers" and "government barriers". After all, the issue of labor treatment mentioned in the blue trade barrier has spread all over the world with the development of economic globalization and cannot be avoided. It should be noted that the blue trade barrier has dual effects, both negative and positive. The unique sociality of the blue trade barrier makes it impossible for us to completely deny it like other barriers, so we should understand the dual effects of the blue trade barrier with a more comprehensive perspective and a positive attitude.

(A) the negative impact of blue trade barriers on China's foreign trade

1, the impact on export orders of China products.

Developed countries take large multinational companies as the main body to participate in international competition, while China's main body to participate in international trade is many small and medium-sized enterprises, and the trade mode is mainly processing trade. According to customs statistics, in 2005, China's foreign trade export volume was 762 billion US dollars, of which the processing trade volume was 4164.8 billion US dollars, accounting for 54.85% of all export trade. China has become an important goal of the global social responsibility movement. In the 1990s, after serious violations of labor rights and interests occurred in China's export enterprises, the International Workers' Federation warned that if the labor environment was not improved, it would unite with developed countries to restrict the export of leather, toys and textiles in China. Then, the United States, French, Italian and other China traditional light industrial products import trade organizations discussed and passed an agreement, requiring all enterprises exporting textiles, toys, shoes and other products in China to pass the SAS000 standard in advance, otherwise they would boycott imports. In fact, this kind of certification has appeared more and more in the additional conditions of transnational orders. Multinational companies require enterprises to meet the certification conditions, or cancel the order. For example, a female worker poisoning incident occurred in a Taiwan-funded shoe factory in Guangdong, and all foreign customers withdrew their orders after hearing the news.

2. Impact on the cost increase of China's export enterprises.

The influence of enterprise cost includes two aspects: one is the management cost of obtaining certification, which can be called "certification cost". Traditionally, SAS000 standard certification generally takes 1 year, and the certificate is valid for 3 years and reviewed every 6 months. A factory with 2,000 people needs a certification fee of 90,000 yuan. Compared with ISO series, the cost is slightly higher. Second, in order to meet the social responsibility that certification must bear, it is necessary to spend money on improving employee welfare, strengthening environmental protection facilities and saving energy. If these measures are blank or bear less before certification, then the cost of one-time investment is very high, which can be called "rectification cost" The increase in the cost of China's export enterprises will inevitably affect the international competitiveness of China enterprises.

3. Impact on China's attracting foreign investment.

After China's accession to the WTO, foreign investors have further increased their investment in China. In addition to the potential economic development speed and strong market demand, cheap labor is also one of the driving forces to attract foreign investment. If the labor standards are raised to the level stipulated in SAS000, the attraction to foreign investors will be reduced, and multinational companies will be afraid that their subcontracted goods will not meet the standards and will not invest in China.

In fact, the negative impact of the above-mentioned blue trade barriers on China's foreign trade is far less than the positive impact, and these negative impacts are basically short-term, relative and dynamic, and can be compensated and controlled.

(B) the positive impact of blue trade barriers on China's foreign trade

1 is conducive to improving China's labor relations.

Although China's "Labor Law" and other laws and regulations have specific provisions on the protection of labor rights and interests, due to the lagging management and the imbalance between supply and demand in the labor market, some enterprises violate the "Labor Law" and infringe on employees' rights and interests from time to time. For example, some enterprises illegally use child labor, collect employee deposits, infringe on the personal rights of workers, work overtime and default on employees' wages; In some areas, industrial accidents continue, and the health and life safety of employees are not guaranteed. The standard of social responsibility is the restriction of social conscience on capital power. The implementation of SA8000 standard in China enterprises requires enterprises to establish a "people-oriented" management idea, so as to improve the tense labor relations in China. SA8000 standard refers to people-oriented management, business ethics and spiritual civilization, and provides an operable quantitative standard for caring, understanding, respecting and protecting people. Its implementation is a good opportunity to improve the working conditions of enterprises and promote the reform and innovation of production and operation with the help of external forces. It should be noted that the popularization and application of SA8000 standard is not only to promote the protection of workers' rights and interests, but more importantly, to promote the fundamental change of workers' role in economic life. The stimulation and release of employees' labor enthusiasm and innovative spirit will not only make enterprises gain more benefits from it, but also create huge material wealth and spiritual wealth for society.

2. Conducive to the construction of China's labor laws and regulations.

When the blue trade barrier prevails, we can consider all the contents of the blue trade barrier comprehensively, reflect on the gap between domestic law and international legislative trend, and find an effective solution to the fundamental crux of the protection of labor rights and interests, combined with the shortcomings of China's labor laws and regulations and the national conditions. China's labor laws and regulations lack basic principles in substance, which makes the existing laws and regulations lack enough flexibility in the face of new problems, and some specific provisions, such as employment discrimination, association, forced labor and employment of child labor, are also imperfect. The procedure lacks convenience and timeliness, so it is difficult to find a quick and effective solution when the rights and interests of workers are damaged. The appearance of blue trade barriers can prompt China to actively improve laws and regulations and fundamentally solve various problems in the process of corporate social responsibility. In addition, some specific provisions in the barriers also provide us with good ideas and rich theoretical basis for formulating laws and regulations. If we can implement "takenism" with a correct attitude, it will be conducive to the continuous improvement of China's labor laws and regulations.

3. It is beneficial to the sustainable development of enterprises in China.

At present, many multinational companies regard the implementation of social responsibility standards as a lever to promote the development of enterprises. Practice at home and abroad shows that corporate social responsibility is positively related to corporate economic performance. Good corporate social responsibility management can not only obtain good social benefits, but also obtain long-term commercial benefits. For example, Wal-Mart insists on auditing its suppliers with social responsibility standards, and the development of the enterprise continues to flourish. Therefore, in the long run, the implementation of social responsibility standards will certainly promote China's enterprises to deepen reform, strengthen management and achieve sustainable development. The long-term benefits and potential benefits it brings are not only enough to make up for the loss of negative effects, but also to create various values for enterprises. For example: enhance the social image and business reputation of enterprises; Then get a pass to the European and American markets; Strengthen the relationship between enterprises and the government; Stabilize the trade and cooperation between enterprises and customers; Enhance the cohesion of enterprises and the loyalty of employees; Promote the technological progress, management level and overall quality of enterprises, and so on.