Hi Bonnie,

It’s beneficial, more or less so depending on what you want to do and where you’re from. China is the world’s second largest economy, having taken over Japan in terms of GDP in 2010. China weathered the 2008 financial crisis, coming out strong and more confident than ever. The country’s importance continues to grow, which means the Chinese language’s importance only continues to grow.

Visit China today and you’ll see there are foreigners coming from everywhere, and a lot of them are studying Chinese (if they don’t know it before they arrive). They’re from Europe, Africa, South and Southeast Asia, South America and from the U.S.

China’s reach spans the entire world, but it’s focused more heavily in certain regions than in others. South America and Africa, for example, are two spots where China is trying hard to build out alliances and influence. China is building railroads, dams, and even donating freshly built houses of government to countries like Nigeria and Columbia in order to gain greater access to the natural resources present in their lands.

There’s a great bit of controversy surrounding all this, with many claiming China is expanding in these places to boost its own growth and not giving enough to the local people. The infrastructure, they say, won’t stand the test of time, nor will the promises being made by the Chinese. After previously being swindled by the Western powers when colonialism was peaking, it’s understandable why many Africans and South Americans look at China with wariness in their eyes. Make of that conflict what you will. The fact remains this expansion demands more non-Chinese people know the Chinese language—for business and political reasons. For anyone living in these parts of the world, knowing Chinese would be extremely beneficial and will only continue to be as time moves forward.

It’s not just people living in the “global south” that can benefit from knowing the language, however. In developed countries like Great Britain, where the economy has reached maturity, governments are looking for cheap ways to fix their own crumbling infrastructure and save some cash. Britain is working with the Chinese to build at least one nuclear power station. France is also involved in the deal. There’s money to be made, and anyone who knows Chinese could potentially get some of it.

The world’s financial stability is heavily dependent on China. Exports account for 12 percent of China’s economic output. 50 percent of its exports are delivered to other parts of Asia. For people living in Asia, knowing Chinese is clearly beneficial. In fact, four of the top five countries represented in surveys of expats living in China are from Asia. They come from South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Myanmar.

And what about the fourth country? 11 percent of expats living in China are from the United States, the second largest amount behind South Korea. If you’re from the US, knowing Chinese can be extremely beneficial for a wide variety of reasons. Business is one, though you might find that even if you do know Chinese well you’ll still be speaking English, since your Chinese business partners will likely speak English very well. Still, knowing Chinese will be a tremendous benefit to you and your company. When you know Chinese, it signals that you’re truly invested in China. And then, of course, there are myriad reasons why knowing Chinese as an American can benefit someone interested in government and politics.

To know whether learning Chinese is beneficial, I invite you to just check the world news every now and then. You’ll see a lot in there about China. That’s proof enough. When you learn, make sure you learn right. I can tell you on authority that having a teacher makes all the difference when learning Chinese. Good luck!