PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Students in
their twenties sit behind old wooden desks in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh,
scribbling away as a teacher barks out phrases in a foreign language above the
roar of motorcycles outside.
Unlike in most other countries in
the region, the students at this private language school and others nearby are
not learning English -- it's Chinese.
Along the street, signs with
golden Chinese letters on newly painted red-and-yellow buildings offer cheap
crash courses in Mandarin.
"Before, people came to this area
to study English but now it's Chinese," said Gua Fa, a teacher and manager of
the Ming Fa Chinese School. "The students all want to be tour guides, Chinese
translators, or work in banks and restaurants."
It's another sign of China's
growing influence in Cambodia, something that is upsetting the unity of the
10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Read more at CNBC
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