Global Elite Turning to Mandarin: A New Language of Power?

A growing number of influential families—from Elon Musk to British royalty—are investing in Chinese language education for their children, signaling a shift in global priorities.

“Elon Musk recently posted on X that his son is learning Mandarin.”

The Trend Among the Powerful

Elon Musk recently revealed on X that his son is studying Mandarin. He joins a distinguished list of wealthy and influential figures whose children or grandchildren are learning Chinese, including Donald Trump's grandchildren, Jeff Bezos's children, Mark Zuckerberg's children, and Prince George.

Why Mandarin? The Economic and Diplomatic Rationale

Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese studies at King's College London, attributed this trend to China's economic size and its future role as a technology and economic partner. He noted that learning Mandarin provides diplomatic opportunities, citing a specific example: Arabella Kushner's Mandarin song performance during a 2017 state visit.

The International Landscape

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated during a recent trip to Beijing that over 100,000 Russians are learning Chinese, with 20,000 studying in China. Russian press secretary Dmitry Peskov reportedly said his daughter spoke Chinese before Russian due to their nanny.

Former Australian PM Kevin Rudd is fluent in Mandarin and used it in official meetings.

A Concern for Western Academia

Dr. Brown expressed concern that few Western university students study Chinese languages. He expressed hope that the children of influential families could become ambassadors for learning Chinese.

Official Responses

• Kensington Palace declined to comment on Prince George's Chinese studies at Eton.
• Meta declined comment from Zuckerberg.
• Bezos, Musk, and Jared Kushner did not respond.

Global Numbers and Regional Impact

Globally, about 990 million speak Mandarin natively, with 1.18 billion including second-language speakers, per Ethnologue. Australia's 2021 census reported 685,274 Mandarin speakers at home.

Kirsty Duff, an Adelaide University student, said Mandarin proficiency boosted her professional connections. She emphasized the importance of business-level Mandarin for Australian diplomacy.

The Enrollment Crisis in Australia

A submission by the Australian Academy of the Humanities to a parliamentary inquiry noted a stark reality:

Only 7 of 14 Australian universities with China studies offer an honours program in Chinese with language, averaging 3-5 graduates per year from 2017-2021.

The federal education department does not collect East Asian language enrollment data.

Committee chair Tim Watts reported a 75% decline in Southeast Asian language enrollments at Australian universities between 2004 and 2022.

Beyond Translation: Cultural Immersion

Dr. Ning Zhang, senior lecturer in Chinese studies at Adelaide University, lamented low enrollment in Mandarin. She argued that AI translation cannot replace cultural understanding, and that language learning must accompany cultural immersion.

Elijah Barrott-Walsh, studying biomedical engineering and Chinese studies at Adelaide University, said language is inseparable from culture and history, and that it fostered professional and personal connections in China.

Government Investment

The Australian government announced $2.5 million in funding to boost Asian language learning for grades 7-12 across nine organizations in Victoria, ACT, and NSW. This falls under the $25 million Community Language Schools program, which supports Mandarin, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Nepali, Punjabi, Tamil, Thai, Vietnamese, Urdu, Bengali, Burmese, Filipino, Gujarati, Sinhalese, Telugu, and Cantonese.