Beijing, July 31

Chinese language should be taught in Africa to ward off cut-throat competition from Indian and Japanese businessmen who have in the recent past shown huge appetite for investment and trade with the countries in the region, an article in a Chinese daily said.”One of the toughest challenges the Chinese face as they push for investment in African countries has been the cultural barrier, especially coping with language challenges,” the article in the state-run Global Times said.The article said the efforts by Chinese to learn about and adopt African countries’ different cultures will significantly close the gap between them and local people, boost the working relationship and kill the misunderstandings that have existed between the two for ages.”There is little doubt that when Chinese Africanise themselves, they will increase their bargaining power with local people, in addition to beating emerging cut-throat competition for opportunities, especially from Japanese and Indian businessmen who have in the recent past shown huge appetite for investment and trade with African countries,” it said.Faced with language problems in African countries since their arrival almost a decade ago, the Chinese are also fast learning local languages such as Swahili, which is widely spoken in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Mozambique and Uganda, it said.”The biggest challenge ahead now is for the Chinese to take a step and start teaching Africans their language. Today, most Africans speak languages such as French, German and English, thanks to the colonialists. It is time, too, for the Chinese language to be inculcated in African countries’ education system,” it said.”It is already being done through Confucius Institutes, but the scale is not large enough for the millions of Africans who yearn to learn the “strange” language. More institutions need to be set up, or collaborations with colleges established, so that the Chinese language can be taught as early as when students are at the primary level”, it said. — PTI