I would say personally I don't care if people show up late, but I'm also not going to play scheduling mind games to try to trick them into being there on time. The event starts at whatever time the invitation says. If someone shows up late, I have no sympathy if they are upset that they missed the beginning. But I'm not going to be mad they didn't show up right on time, either. It's ultimately their problem, not mine.

That's ok. It's all a matter of how far you're willing to go to accommodate your friends' cultures. Inversely, they could give an american/european a later time to arrive, because they know you'll be punctual, but would like to spare you from being awkwardly sitting alone for half an hour. Or they could not.