Yes, you are right. I live in Johannesburg and can see more and more people around me learn Chinese language. They have different purposes. Some hope to go to China for more business opportunities, some hope to get jobs in Chinese companies. There are seven Confucius Institutes / Confucius Classrooms in South Africa, teaching Chinese language and Chinese culture. I also know there is a program training South African tourism employees to learn Chinese, with the aim of receiving Chinese tourists. Starting 2016, Chinese language has been incorporated into the South Africa Basic Education curriculum, giving more channels for South African students to learn the language. There is also a “Chinese Bridge” Chinese proficiency competition that is held annually around the world. Many of the winners are from Africa.
I think the most important reason is the increasing people-to-people exchange between China and other countries, which enables more Chinese and people from other countries to know better about each other. Chinese tourists can be seen almost everywhere around the world. This has encouraged more tourism employees to learn to speak Chinese so that they could receive Chinese tourists. Statistics from the Annual Report on Outbound Tourism Development 2023-2024 issued by China Tourism Academy, a total of 87 outbound trips were registered in 2023. In 2024, the figure is expected to exceed 130 million.
Another reason is the increasing closer business ties. Many Chinese enterprises have investments or branches overseas. In addition, the increasingly popular Belt and Road Initiative has seen more and more infrastructure construction projects overseas. These companies and projects need local people. Learning Chinese can help local people to get better jobs in these Chinese companies. In addition, China has extensive trade relations with the rest of the world. It is important to master Chinese language if you have trade relations with your Chinese partners.
Chinese language is difficult to learn. But more and more people learn Chinese. This shows that China has becoming a more appealing market worldwide.