Mandarin lessons booming in Singapore

Hundreds of languages are spoken across Asia but by far the most common is Mandarin. In fact, it is the most spoken language in the world and is replacing Japanese as the Asian language of business.

In September Beijing announced plans for a massive expansion in language school places for overseas students in a bid to boost international fluency.

Singapore is just one of the countries in which learning Mandarin has become popular where children as young as three take lessons.

Mariko Oi reports.