CCP is very obsessed with exerting complete control over their entire borders. I'm guessing this is the source of this. It's interesting because the US is moving in the opposite direction on this one. That is, encouraging foreign language instruction in schools. My kids goes to a dual language Spanish/English school. They learn math in Spanish for example. I know China is funding Mandarin learning programs in the US too (some of the schools here are dual language englihs/mandarin, which of course, my wife would never allow. Learning manadarin is treason to Cantonese in her eyes lol). Fundamentally, I'm not against this, but I don't believe it will somehow develop goodwill towards China in the US. I'd imagine this is why China is funding it; there's always a political motive behind anything any government does.
My other crackpot theory is that China wants Mandarin to become the new lingua franca of the business world. However, I don't think that will ever happen, it's not practical enough of a language. That is, it's harder to learn that than say English or Spanish.
Patrickov wrote:My family believes that the Xi administration is having a serious Chūnibyō syndrome and is keen to kindle all kinds of conflict just to show that they are omnipotent.
I agree with this theory. In the west we tend to call it a "God complex" though.
I can think of 11780 reasons Trump shouldn't be president ever again.