Mandarin lessons have become popular 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. Sixteen-year-old Nikhil Choudhary is an Indian student living in Singapore and speaks three of the most widely spoken languages of the world including Mandarin.

He told the BBC's Mariko Oi why he likes to be able to speak Mandarin.