"During my lessons, I will help students develop their cross-cultural communication and management skills, as well as motivate them to participate in more cultural exchange activities between China and Latin America, and genuinely engage in international exchanges," he says.

He also led a team of teachers and business owners from Latin America to visit Changzhou before the outbreak of COVID-19. Within two weeks, the team members improved their understanding of China and were eager to cooperate with Chinese enterprises.

"They found that China had developed considerably more quickly than they thought and that people's living standards are improving rapidly," says Zottele.

Zottele's father, too, is devoted to the research for the BRI. In 2020, Zottele and his father co-authored a book on the initiative.

"I frequently explain to my family and friends in Argentina that hearing about China from others is insufficient. They need to visit China and learn about Chinese traditional culture, as well as the development of modern China and the hospitality of the Chinese people," says Zottele.