Like many, I believe that China will be the next super-power in the global economy - China is the largest country in the world (1.3 billion people). It has the fastest growing economy (over 10% annual growth since 1978) and has an active political outreach campaign to make allies in the world and secure access to scarce resources.

In order to be friends with this emerging super-power, we need to build relationships based on trust, cooperation, and respect. The key to developing trust and building bridges is through communication, and the key to communicating effectively is to understand each other's languages.

By learning key words and phrases, my 3 year old daughter will be able to show respect to other Chinese in the US (50,000+ adopted, and 3.4 million of Chinese descent living here) and to 1.3 billion Chinese overseas that may be visitors here on business or politics, or be hosts when she visits China.

When Mandy goes to Shanghai (my generation went to Europe, but the future is in China) on vacation with me and my wife or on exchange with her school's program as a teenager, I would expect her to be conversant (not fluent) in the language based on her education. Ann Arbor, MI schools are offering Chinese language courses, and Oakland County Schools (where I grew up in Michigan) are requiring all students to pass a two credit Chinese class in order to graduate. I would expect most Exemplary Schools to have some kind of Chinese program. And therefore I would expect Mandy to be conversant as a teenager.

When I graduated from the University of Michigan, with a BA in Economics and an MBA in Marketing and International Business, I decided to hold off on my career to invest the summer travelling to China. It was one of the best summers of my life. I was conversant in Chinese which allowed me to build relationships and trust with many Chinese people. Most of our meaningful conversations were in English, but my Chinese proficiency allowed the Chinese to

see that I cared about their culture. This was particularly important to me as an ABC (American-Born Chinese), as I was expected to know and embrace OUR culture. Once I was "in the door," the Chinese students, professional, and business leaders shared a lot about their people, history, likes, and dreams. To this day, I do not see the Chinese people as the next cold war enemy; I see them as friends - real people with real dreams.

Exploding a few myths:

1. You do not need to be a visionary or business leader to see the logic of this thesis.

2. Chinese does not have to be a difficult language to learn (to be conversant).

3. You do not have to be rich or special to learn this language.

There are many reasons to learn Chinese. Some programs express that Chinese and other foreign languages help a child's brain develop - especially at an early age. My company agrees and advocates that Chinese can be a good tool to develop learning skills as a family. Some career counselors and professors argue that all other things being equal, you can earn a lot more money by associating yourself to this economic juggernaut. Lastly, don't forget the perk of being able to order dim-sum with authority.

I personally believe that the new world order will depend on how much we cooperate vs. compete. Cooperation is based on understanding, trust, and communication which are based on learning the other one's language. In the next 20 years, the US will no longer be the only super-power. As this hegemony shifts, we need to consider other countries in addition to ourselves. We can no longer afford to be ethnocentric. We need to embrace foreign people, cultures, languages, values, and economies - - - the largest and most impactful player is China. Learn Chinese!

Chris Lin is the author of Mandy and Pandy Say, "Ni Hao Ma?" which is the first in a series of books to help children learn Chinese. For more information about the author and series, visit www.mandyandpandy.com.