A friendship beyond business

"If any of them are unhappy about something, whether it's about work or family issues, they're welcome to talk to me," Wang said. "After they finish venting, they are reenergized and ready to work."

Wang also gives his staff "soccer vacations". During the soccer season, he allows his staff to attend games on weekdays. "If they still have work to finish, they can come to work on weekends without overtime pay or complaints."

Through 10 years of exploration, Wang realized that if a company wants to truly take root and thrive in a foreign country, it must respect local culture and empathize with people of that country.

Wang spends about 10 months in Peru each year. "When I'm back in China, my Peruvian staff keeps text-bombing me. It feels like part of my heart is still left over there."

Peru has been part of the Belt and Road Initiative for several years. "China is now its largest trading partner," Wang said. "Chinese enterprises invest on a very large scale, many in the tens of billions of dollars."

Wang expressed his hope that there could be more cultural exchanges between the two countries. "On the micro level, I hope more Peruvians could visit China and see for themselves. Even for those who have been here before, they will discover China's rapid and grand changes when they revisit."

Nu?ez has been to China before, and for his next visit, Wang said he plans to take him to Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta, "Nu?ez once told me that China's development is as fast as the high-speed rail. China is vast and culturally diverse and I want to show him the charms of different areas."

lixinran@i21st.cn