George Osborne: '5,000 more pupils to learn Mandarin'

Chancellor George Osborne has announced a £10m boost towards the teaching of Mandarin in English schools, with the aim of 5,000 pupils learning the language by 2020.

Mr Osborne said that Mandarin - the main language spoken in much of China - could be more useful than other more traditional language options.

Speaking during a five-day tour of China, he told the BBC's Robert Peston he welcomed the large numbers of Chinese students coming to study in the UK, saying they made ''a huge contribution'' to universities and colleges.