Abstract
Under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), cross-cultural collaboration in Chinese-invested energy enterprises have become critical determinants of project performance and long-term sustainability. However, existing cross-cultural management research has primarily focused on Western contexts, with a relative scarcity of interpretivist, process-oriented empirical studies in emerging markets such as China and Pakistan. This study examines the dynamics and complexities of cross-cultural collaboration within this unique context, using a flagship energy project within CPEC as a case study. Through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 12 Chinese and Pakistani employees, this research identifies key factors shaping cross-cultural collaboration, their impact on project performance, and management strategies to enhance such collaboration, and therefore offers both theoretical and practical implications for localisation and cultural integration in Chinese-invested energy enterprises under CPEC.