The topic of recognising the UEC took the nation by storm.
But beyond the politics, one remark caught my attention. Rafizi Ramli argued that Mandarin could become the world’s lingua franca within the next decade, a bold claim that deserves deeper reflection.
Will Mandarin be the language of the future?
Let’s talk about China’s meteoric rise over the past 40 years.
It is impossible to talk about business without talking about China. The world’s second-largest economy influences global demand, supply chains, and trade patterns. Its Belt and Road Initiative and economic ties are expanding southwards into Southeast Asia and beyond. Economic engagement with China now directly affects regional development in ASEAN and Indian Ocean markets.
When I was in Thailand, I was surprised to find that many store staff could speak conversational Chinese fluently.
I had an opportunity to take a master’s degree at Tsinghua University, a place consistently ranked among China’s top institutions along with Peking University. Both are often labelled “super universities” not just for prestige but for rigorous research output and student dedication, the qualities that impressed me daily during my time there. Only the best of the best from each Chinese provinces and municipalities are selected to study in these two universities.
China’s rise is not limited to academia. Its economic and technological infrastructure has expanded rapidly. The country now has the longest high-speed rail network in the world, with about 48,000 km of track and plans to reach 60,000 km by 2030, connecting cities and boosting productivity.
Strategic industries such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors have also seen heavy investment, with China increasingly competitive in critical tech categories. Even in rare earths which are essential for electronics, EVs, and defence, China now dominates the market, controlling around 70 % of U.S. rare earth imports and over 90 % of processing and refining capacity.
This dependency shows how deeply global supply chains are intertwined with Chinese industry.
Of course, China faces internal challenges such as youth unemployment and demographic headwinds, but its broad and sustained advancements make the idea of overtaking the U.S. in some domains far from far-fetched.
This backdrop explains why Chinese language matters, proficiency opens pathways into a market of more than 1.4 billion people, enhances cross-border collaboration, and gives professionals an edge in navigating China-linked ecosystems. Some countries are already responding. Saudi Arabia has introduced Mandarin as a compulsory second foreign language in schools, a signal of its economic and diplomatic pivot toward deeper ties with China.
Whether Rafizi was right or not, the world’s shifting balance makes the Chinese language an increasingly valuable asset in the coming decade.
What do you think?
Jason Kang (weeshuien92@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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