Navigating A Blue 'Silk Road' - China Team CEO at Cascais

8:10 AM Tue 30 Aug 2011 GMT

'Wang Chaoyong, Chairman of China Team (left)' ? China Team

Calm, reserved and soft-spoken, Wang Chaoyong may not strike you as the 'King of Investing' and 'Father of Sailing', two titles bestowed on him in China. After a little more time with him, his seeming aloofness begins to give way to the warmth and passion underneath.

It's apparent that of all the projects in a diverse portfolio of investments ranging from information technology, renewable energy, and health care, to real estate, consumer products and entertainment, he is most proud of China Team, contending for the 34th America's Cup. Behind that pride, though, is a passion for the sea and a pursuit much larger, deeper and more personal than the potential for economic return. Water permeates all three characters of his name.

Ironically, born in the inland province of Hubei, he had never seen the sea until he was 20 years old. However, once he experienced the blue, infinite expanse of water, it became an all-encompassing mission in life. He now identifies his own personality with the ocean: both mountainous waves and vast serenity.

From the youngest-ever country head in Morgan Stanley's history, to investing in Baidu, the no 1 Chinese search engine, Wang Chaoyong is no stranger to monumental challenges. The America's Cup competition, however, gives him both an even greater challenge, and a more gratifying opportunity.

On the last day of America's Cup World Series debut in Cascais, I interviewed Wang Chaoyong just before the final, winner-takes-all race characteristic of the oldest trophy in international sport. I wanted to better understand what America's Cup means to him and what he was feeling at that very moment. Among the nine teams competing, including the world's best, such as Oracle Racing and Emirates New Zealand, China Team is the only one with a double duty - not only to strive for best possible performance in races, but also to train Chinese sailors. Race practice time is therefore split in half.