Profile: Mexican entrepreneur in China's Chongqing

CHONGQING, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Julio Cruz, a 30-year-old Mexican, came to southwest China's Chongqing Municipality as an exchange student in 2012, the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Mexico.

He was among the first Mexican students to study in the city. A decade later, he is still in Chongqing and deeply in love with the city.

As China and Mexico usher in the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year, Cruz is preparing to embrace his new role in Chongqing: chairman of a local China-Mexico chamber of commerce.

Cruz came to Chongqing due to his late application for the exchange program, as Chongqing was his only choice. "When I knew the result, I thought it would be a nightmare. I knew nothing about Chongqing and I could not speak any Chinese at that time," he said.

However, the seemingly strange city offered him a homely warmth. As he went out and made new friends in China, he soon fell in love with the mountainous city and took many pictures of Chongqing's developed urban landscape.

He also met his wife during the exchange program and decided to pursue a master's degree in this city.

After graduating, he opened a Mexican restaurant in Chongqing and became its owner and chef, achieving popularity as the locals have a taste for spicy food just like those native to his homeland of Mexico. "I believe Mexican food has a huge market," he said.

His restaurant developed a large customer base beyond his initial expectations, and some regulars could be seen in tears when he closed the eatery in 2018.

Cruz began to operate foreign trade businesses after his short career as a chef. He now runs a consulting agency for companies based in Chongqing or Mexico, helping those located in one of the two countries to start businesses in the other.

"Everyone knows Beijing and Shanghai, but Chongqing, the major motorcycle supplier for Mexico, is easy to get ignored. However, it has large potential to develop," said Cruz.

He said that in recent years, Mexico has been paying more attention to Chongqing, and Chongqing has also been eyeing the opportunities in the North American market.

In 2012, the Mexican company Nemak established a branch in Chongqing with an investment of almost 130 million U.S. dollars, marking the launch of Mexico's first foreign investment program in China. In 2021, the 14th China-Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Business Summit was held in Chongqing.

In 2021 alone, the trade value between Chongqing and Mexico was 14 billion yuan (about 2.2 billion U.S. dollars), up 6.1 percent year on year, of which exports totaled 11.88 billion yuan at an annual increase of 20.1 percent.

Cruz witnessed the new cultural bond that was established between Chongqing and Mexico. In 2021, Chongqing's Fengdu County established a sister-city relationship with Guanajuato in Mexico.

Cruz now regards himself as half Mexican and half Chongqing local.

"Coming to China is life-changing. I love Chongqing very much and I want to connect Chongqing with the market of North America, not just Mexico's," he said.