Experts predict that Chinese may become one of the world's common languages within the next two to three decades.

Experts: Chinese May Become a Global Lingua Franca Within 20 to 30 Years

Tatyana Lobanova, Director of the Chinese and China Research Center at the Russian State Pedagogical University, said in an interview with Russia's Izvestia that Chinese could become one of the world's global lingua francas within the next 20 to 30 years, though this process will depend on political and economic factors.

Lobanova stated: "I believe the likelihood of Chinese becoming an international lingua franca is moderately high. And this will happen within the next two to three decades, not earlier."

According to her, increasing interest in the Chinese language is linked to China’s growing economic and technological influence, as well as positive interactions with European countries.

Lobanova pointed out: "When there is a need for communication and negotiation, linguistic factors naturally gain importance, which in turn leads to changes in language status."

Experts emphasized that if Chinese continues to rise in status, educational curricula would need to be revised accordingly—such as introducing Chinese as a primary foreign language in primary and secondary schools.

Aleksey Maslov, Dean of the School of Asia and Africa at Moscow State University, previously noted that 240 universities in Russia now offer Chinese language courses, with annual enrollment growth in Chinese programs ranging from 10% to 15%.

Previously, the Moscow Department of Education announced that Chinese has become the second most popular foreign language among Moscow's school students.

Source: sputniknews

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1864387239234572/

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