Exploratory research evidence of challenges and opportunities perceived by textiles & clothing companies in one belt one road countries

The Belt and Road (B & R) Initiative, which was put forth by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, has entered its fifth year and attracted widespread support from more than 80 countries and international organizations. The B & R Initiative provides fresh impetus to the global economy in the 21st century and creates exciting opportunities for different sectors, particularly in the low-wage labour intensive sectors, such as the textiles and clothing (T&C) industries. With strong emphasis on connectivity and international socio-economic co-operation, the B & R Initiative provides enormous impetus for future regional development. The ultimate goal is to “Collaborate for Success”, a win-win situation in the B & R Initiative. In this paper, a qualitative study has been carried out to show how the B & R Initiative is transforming the development landscape. Interviews, which are a useful research method, are carried out in this study because they allow us to have in-depth discussions with individuals who are active participants in the researched area, and provide us the access to current, practical, and candid information that is not readily available in the published form. As the B & R Initiative is an ongoing endeavor, more projects are being launched and business opportunities continue to materialize. Governments and businesses are actively taking advantage of promising new opportunities, yet in the practical sense, conundrums remain unanswered. How can these parties collaborate to overcome the challenges? What tangible actions have already been taken? With the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) destined to greatly benefit from the B & R Initiative, how will the newly signed Hong Kong-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement further mobilize collaboration? More importantly, how are B & R Initiative projects progressing and driving local developments? Ten interviews have been conducted with experts to validate and extend the findings of the existing literature on the factors that are addressed in trade flow in the B & R Initiative. The focus is on identifying the opportunities that enhance the mutual supportiveness of trade and the challenges of progress among the countries involved in the B & R Initiative