Close cooperation on infrastructure, the economy and technology between China and its partner nations has thrived greatly since the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013. 

Thanks to these deepening ties, more foreigners are realizing the value of working in Chinese companies.

CGTN is sharing the personal stories of seven employees who work in Chinese companies that are based in their own countries.

In the third episode of "The Faces," Nor Syafira from Malaysia shares her own story of being an only female engineer working on the construction site of The Face Suites.

The Face Suites is located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, adjacent to the Kuala Lumpur landmark Twin Towers. It is a high-end hotel with a height of 216 meters, the highest building constructed by Metallurgical Cooperation of China (MCC) overseas. 

Graduating from the University of Technology, Malaysia, Nor Syafira entered MCC to start her first job. She says it was not easy for her to work in a Chinese company, for most of the workers were Chinese who couldn't speak either English or Malay.

In the beginning, the best way to understand her colleagues was via simple keywords and body language, which upset her a little bit. Ultimately she decided to guide the young managers and workers of the project to speak English aloud, step by step and one by one, the level of their oral English has continuously improved. In order to have better communication with her colleagues, Nor Syafira started to study Mandarin in her spare time.

In 2018, MCC started The Face Suites and Nor Syafira moved from Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur and joined the project. She managed the prestressed concrete during her work, which is a kind of concrete used in construction. When under construction it is substantially compressed in the areas that will be subjected to tensile forces while in service to strengthen it against these forces.

Moreover, Nor Syafira always goes to the construction site to supervise the quality of the project, 

Syafira has been working in Kuala Lumpur for half a year. Now, she is not satisfied with only managing pre-stress work. Recently, she proposed to start learning the acceptance check of steel bars and start learning from the Chinese managers of the project. 

Nor Syafira says that the Belt and Road Initiative means a lot both for her and Malaysia. It offers her more opportunities to work in top Chinese firms and exchange management skills; for Malaysia, the initiative increases employment opportunities and stimulates the development of the economy, for sure.