The Impact of Labor Standards on International Trade: A Chinese Perspective

This paper first compiles some of the representative literature exploring the relationship between labor standards and international trade, and explores the different attitudes of developed and developing countries on the linkage between labor standards and international trade, and on this basis, analyzes the impact of labor standards on international trade based on China's perspective. The paper argues that labor standards, which are predominantly promoted by Western countries with a focus on workers rights, have a dual nature and exert various effects on the development of international trade. It is not desirable for Chinese enterprises to take a passive attitude of resistance in the face of challenges. Only by implementing social responsibility management into all levels of the enterprise organization structure, transforming the certification pressure into competitive power, and changing the one-sided view of foreign countries on China's labor standards can we win a favorable position in the fierce international competition and a greater space for the development of Chinese enterprises.