The importance and global influence of China was highlighted last week with news that the Panamanian National Assembly has given provisional approval to a Bill that will make the teaching of Mandarin compulsory in all schools.

Panama’s trade with China amounts to some $1bn annually and with China being the biggest single user of the Panama Canal, it is a vitally important trading partner; the Panamanians recognise that English is still the international language of business, however, supporters of the new language bill say that increasing the number of Chinese speakers will dramatically increase Panama’s competitiveness.

China is actively seeking to expand its influence worldwide in order to secure a share of increasingly scarce natural resources and has met with great success. Whilst Western nations have been ‘bogged down’ in worldwide conflicts, China has been building trade alliances and dispensing aid and loans to countries in Africa.

China’s success in these regions (which also happen to be rich in natural resources), has been so successful because China has very few ‘strings’ attached to their loan and aid provision; unlike most Western Governments, China never demands any change in the way recipient Governments are run or behave.

With Panama setting this trend for closer linguistic ties with China, how long I wonder, before other countries start doing the same?