Internationalisation Strategies of Chinese Textile SMES: A 15-Year Thematic Review and Literature Matrix

This paper presents a comprehensive 15-year thematic literature review evaluating the internationalisation strategies, entry modes, dynamic capabilities, and institutional drivers of Chinese textile and garment Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). This study synthesizes empirical scholarship published over the past fifteen years, with particular emphasis on recent findings from 2024 through 2026. The paper establishes a curated Literature Matrix cataloguing representative empirical studies across sample contexts, theoretical frameworks, core variables, methodologies, and key findings. The thematic synthesis organizes literature across five conceptual pillars: institutional policy push and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) trade corridors, platform-mediated cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) ecosystems, AI-driven dynamic supply chain agility, regional outward FDI as institutional escape, and foreign trade friction alongside European Union ESG mandates. A detailed methodological critique evaluates research designs and sampling biases across Chinese coastal and inland industrial clusters, concluding with narrative strategic implications for SME executive management and industrial policy.

Chinese Textile SMEs, Internationalisation Strategy, Thematic Literature Review, Literature Matrix, Cross-Border E-Commerce, Belt and Road Initiative

1. Bao, J., & Yang, L. (2025). Will ESG disclosure affect the green innovation level of SMEs? Finance Research Letters, 83, 107656. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2025.107656 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700108 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Blalock, E. C., Fan, Y., & Lyu, X. (2025). Analyzing the Shanghai fashion entrepreneurial ecosystem – A feminist policy response to governance challenges. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 29(4). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Dooranov, A., Kang, F., Rasulova, N., Botobekov, A., & Kumskov, G. (2026). Adaptation of strategic innovation management to regional sustainable development: Lessons from global SMEs and the DCT approach. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 13, 102658. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Du, X., & Huang, J. (2025). The influence of digital capabilities on the export performance of SMEs: evidence from China. Asia Pacific Business Review, 1–26. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. https://doi.org/10.1080/13602381.2024.2448472 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Dunning, J. H. (1988). The eclectic paradigm of international production: a restatement and some possible extensions. Journal of International Business Studies, 19(1), 1–31. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490372 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Fonseca, M. J. S. D., Sousa, B. B., Carvalho, T. M., & Teixeira, A. (2025). The internationalization of the Portuguese textile sector into the Chinese market: Contributions to destination image. Tourism and Hospitality, 6(3), Article 146. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Iwasaki, F., Chokyu, A., & Ueki, Y. (2025). Why are labour-intensive factories surviving in Japan? A case study of apparel sewing SMEs in the North Iwate. Administrative Sciences, 15(5), Article 154. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Johanson, J., & Vahlne, J.-E. (1977). The internationalization process of the firm—a model of knowledge development and increasing foreign market commitments. Journal of International Business Studies, 8(1), 23–32. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490676 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Johanson, J., & Vahlne, J.-E. (2009). The Uppsala internationalization process model revisited: From liability of foreignness to liability of outsidership. Journal of International Business Studies, 40(9), 1411–1431. https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2009.24 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Lan, T., & Zhang, L. (2025). Made in Italy by Chinese: Fashionability and transnational Chinese entrepreneurs. Chinese Journal of Communication, 18(3). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Li, J., Liu, B., & Qian, G. (2019). The Belt and Road Initiative, cultural friction and ethnicity: Their effects on the export performance of SMEs in China. Journal of World Business, 54(4), 350–359. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2019.04.004 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Li, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2026). Cross-border trade financing model for textile SMEs based on blockchain: Taking the confirmation of accounts receivable of fabric exporters in the Yangtze River Delta as an example. Textile and Leather Review, 9. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Liu, M., & Zhao, M. (2025). Configurational analysis of the degree of internationalization and institutional environment on the innovation performance of China's textile and apparel enterprises. Journal of Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology (Natural Science Edition), 45(1). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Lu, J. W., & Beamish, P. W. (2001). The internationalization and performance of SMEs. Strategic Management Journal, 22(6-7), 565–586. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.184 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Lu, J., Liu, X., Wright, M., & Filatotchev, I. (2014). International experience and FDI location choices of Chinese firms: The moderating effects of home country government support and host country institutions. Journal of International Business Studies, 45(4), 428–449. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2013.68 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Pan, L., Fu, X., & Li, Y. (2022). SME participation in cross-border e-commerce as an entry mode to foreign markets: A driver of innovation or not? Electronic Commerce Research, 23(4), 2327–2356. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-022-09539-7 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Peng, M. W., Wang, D. Y. L., & Jiang, Y. (2008). An institution-based view of international business strategy: A focus on emerging economies. Journal of International Business Studies, 39(5), 920–936. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400377 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Qu, C., & Kim, E. (2025a). Artificial-intelligence-enabled innovation ecosystems: A novel triple-layer framework for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in the Chinese apparel-manufacturing industry. Sustainability, 17(11), Article 5019. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Qu, C., & Kim, E. (2025b). Investigating AI adoption, knowledge absorptive capacity, and open innovation in Chinese apparel MSMEs: An extended TAM-TOE model with PLS-SEM analysis. Sustainability, 17(5), Article 1873. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Rovai, S. (2025). Building business network relationships in the changing Chinese context: Findings from Italian luxury companies. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 40(4). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Sadiq, M., Chien, F., Leong, M. K., Verma, S., & Miraz, M. H. (2025). Toward a circular path: Integrating knowledge, open innovation, green HRM, entrepreneurship, and digital orientation in Chinese fashion industry. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 32(4). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Sharma, P., Cheng, L. T. W., & Leung, T. Y. (2020). Impact of political connections on Chinese export firms' performance - Lessons for other emerging markets. Journal of Business Research, 106, 24–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.08.037 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., & Shuen, A. (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 18(7), 509–533. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:7<509::AID-SMJ882>3.0.CO;2-Z [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Tong, C., Lin, L., & Gao, W. (2025). A dynamic capability perspective on the influencing factors of supply chain resilience in Chinese small and medium-sized green textile enterprises. Industria Textila, 76(6). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Wang, F., & Zhou, Y. (2025). Cross-border E-commerce, platform economy, and export product quality. International Business Review, 34(5), Article 102466. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2025.102466 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. Wang, Y., Jia, F., Schoenherr, T., Gong, Y., & Chen, L. (2019). Cross-border e-commerce firms as supply chain integrators: The management of three flows. Industrial Marketing Management, 89, 72–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2019.09.004 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. Wang, Y., Wang, T., & Wang, Q. (2024). The impact of digital transformation on enterprise performance: An empirical analysis based on China's manufacturing export enterprises. PLOS ONE, 19(3), e0299723. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0299723 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. Wei, Y., Zheng, N., Liu, X., & Lu, J. (2014). Expanding to outward foreign direct investment or not? A multi-dimensional analysis of entry mode transformation of Chinese private exporting firms. International Business Review, 23(2), 356–370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2013.06.001 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. Wu, B., & Deng, P. (2020). Internationalization of SMEs from emerging markets: An institutional escape perspective. Journal of Business Research, 108, 337–350. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.10.037 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

37. Xie, Z., & Li, J. (2018). Exporting and innovating among emerging market firms: The moderating role of institutional development. Journal of International Business Studies, 49(2), 222–245. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

38. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-017-0118-4 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

39. Yu, W., Ali, Z., & Hassan, A. (2025). An empirical investigation for application of big data use in fostering export performance: A dual moderation model. Business Process Management Journal. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

40. Zhang, A., & Seuring, S. (2024). Digital product passport for sustainable and circular supply chain management: A structured review of use cases. International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications, 27(12), 2513–2540. https://doi.org/10.1080/13675567.2024.2374256 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

41. Zhang, J., & Donzé, P. (2026a). Entrepreneurs and the structural transformation of the Chinese apparel industry, 1980–2020. Journal of Evolutionary Studies in Business, 11(1). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

42. Zhang, J., & Donzé, P.-Y. (2026b). The internationalisation of Chinese apparel companies, 1990–2020. Business History. Advance online publication. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

43. Zhang, X., Ma, X., Wang, Y., Li, X., & Huo, D. (2016). What drives the internationalization of Chinese SMEs? The joint effects of international entrepreneurship characteristics, network ties, and firm ownership. International Business Review, 25(2), 522–534. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2015.09.001 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• The Indirect Effect of Liquidity and Activity on Company Value with Profitability as an Intervening Variable
• Effect of Financial Skills, Knowledge, and Attitude on The Financial Behaviour of Clergy
• A Decade of Review: Trends in Budget Execution and Financial Performance of Development Projects in Tanzania (2014/15-2023/24)
• The Influence of Pre-Project Planning on the Budget Absorption Rate of Public Funded Infrastructure Projects in Kenya a Comparative Case Study of Narok, Migori, and Kisii County Government Projects
• Assessment of Factors Influencing Digital Transformation in Hotels’ Facility Management in Abuja Metropolis, Nigeria