List of countries and territories where Chinese is an official language

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Countries/territories in which Chinese is an official language.
  Official language (As Mandarin in China and Taiwan)
  Co-official language (As Cantonese in Hong Kong alongside English, in Macau alongside Portuguese. As Mandarin in Singapore alongside English, Malay, and Tamil.)

The following is a list of countries and territories where Chinese is an official language. While those countries or territories that designate any variety of Chinese as an official language, as the term "Chinese" is considered a group of related language varieties rather than a homogeneous language, of which many are not mutually intelligible, in the context of the spoken language such designations are usually understood as one standard form of Chinese variety, namely Cantonese and Standard Mandarin.[1] In the context of the written language, written modern standard Chinese is usually understood to be the official standard, though different territories use different standard scripts, namely traditional characters and simplified characters.

Today, Chinese has an official language status in two countries and three territories. In China, it is the sole official language as Standard Chinese, while in Singapore (as Mandarin) it is one of the four official languages. It is the sole official language as Standard Chinese in Taiwan, while in Hong Kong and Macau it is co-official as Cantonese, alongside English and Portuguese respectively. Chinese is also an official language in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and also one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Chinese was added as an official language in the United Nations in 1973, when the General Assembly made Chinese a working language.[2][3]

Chinese varieties as official languages[edit]

Cantonese[edit]

Location Population (2017)[4] Written variety Standardised form
 Hong Kong[5] 7,191,503 Traditional Chinese N/A (Not mentioned by the government)
 Macau[6] 648,550 Traditional Chinese

As special administrative regions of China, both Hong Kong and Macau list the ambiguous "Chinese" as one of their official languages, although in practice, the regionally spoken Cantonese dialect is used by the government as the official variant of Chinese rather than Mandarin as on the mainland.

Cantonese is also highly influential in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, where the language originated. Despite Mandarin's status as the official language of China, the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) has allowed local television and other media in Guangdong Province to be broadcast in Cantonese since 1988 in order to countermeasure against Hong Kong influence. Meanwhile, usage of the country's other dialects in media is rigorously restricted by the SARFT, with permission from national or local authorities being required for a dialect to be the primary programming language at radio and television stations.[7] Despite its unique standing relative to other Chinese dialects, Cantonese has also been targeted by the SARFT in attempts to curb its usage on local television in Guangdong. This was most exemplified by mass demonstrations in 2010 that resulted in the eventual rejection of the plans.

Mandarin[edit]

Location Population (2017)[4] Written variety Standardised form
 People's Republic of China[8] 1,379,302,771 Simplified Chinese
Written Mandarin		 Standard Chinese
 Republic of China (Taiwan) 23,508,428 Traditional Chinese
Written Mandarin		 Standard Chinese
Taiwanese Mandarin
 Singapore[9] 5,888,926 (~3,000,000 ethnic Chinese) Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Written Mandarin		 Singaporean Mandarin

The Mandarin dialect group consists of closely related varieties of Chinese spoken natively across most of northern and southwestern China, a form based on the Beijing dialect has been established as the national standard and is official in the People's Republic of China, and form based on the Taipei dialect in the Republic of China and Singapore.

In Wa State, Mandarin Chinese is de facto the official language, even though the government tries to promote the use of Wa. This situation arose because Wa lacks an agreed standardisation (the dialects are very different and three different scripts are used for the language) and because of the significant presence of non-Wa minorities. Consequently, Chinese is used in the government, army, and business, and is taught in many schools.[10]

Status of other Chinese variants[edit]

In China, the public usage of varieties other than Standard Mandarin (Putonghua) is officially discouraged by the government and nearly all education and media is conducted in the standard variant, with a notable exception being Cantonese in Guangdong media and public transportation. As a result, younger populations are increasingly losing knowledge of their local dialects. While there was limited activity in reintroducing local languages at schools through cultural programs and a slight uplifting of broadcasting restrictions on dialects during the 2000s, the Chinese government has stopped and in most cases, reversed these developments since the mid-2010s.[11]

Although Mandarin is the official variant of Chinese in Taiwan, Taiwanese Hokkien and Hakka are widely spoken and used in media. Additionally, they are taught at the primary school level and are used in public transportation announcements.[12] A thriving literary scene for both Taiwanese and Hakka also exists alongside Mandarin. In December 2017, Hakka was recognised as a national minority language, allowing it to be used for official purposes in townships where speakers form at least half of the population.[13] Taiwanese was also granted national language status after a legislative act in 2018.[14]

In Singapore, the public usage of varieties other than Standard Mandarin is discouraged as in China. The Singaporean government has actively promoted the Speak Mandarin Campaign (SMC) since the 1980s and forbids non-cable broadcasting and Chinese language medium of instruction in non-Mandarin varieties. However, since the mid-1990s, there has been a relaxation in allowing non-Mandarin broadcasting via cable networks and a massive following of Hong Kong television dramas and pop culture, which are in Cantonese.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Mair, Victor H. (1991). "What Is a Chinese "Dialect/Topolect"? Reflections on Some Key Sino-English Linguistic Terms" (PDF). Sino-Platonic Papers. 29. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-05-10. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  2. ^ Resolution 3189 (XXVIII) Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine Inclusion of Chinese among the working languages of the General Assembly and the Security Council (18 December 1973)
  3. ^ Resolution 3191 (XXVIII) Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine Inclusion of Chinese among the working languages of the General Assembly, its committees and its subcommittees and inclusion of Arabic among the official and the working languages of the General Assembly and its Main Committees: amendments to rules 51 to 59 of the rules of procedure of the Assembly
  4. ^ a b "The World Factbook". Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 2018-10-04. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
  5. ^ Hong Kong Basic Law (1990) - Article 9: In addition to the Chinese language, English may also be used as an official language by the executive authorities, legislature and judiciary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
  6. ^ Macau Basic Law (1993) - Article 9: In addition to the Chinese language, Portuguese may also be used as an official language by the executive authorities legislature and judiciary of the Macao Special Administrative Region.
  7. ^ "Code of Professional Ethics of Radio and Television Hosts of China" (in Chinese). State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT). 2005-02-07. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  8. ^ Constitution of the People's Republic of China (1982) - Article 4, Section 4: All ethnic groups shall have the freedom to use and develop their own spoken and written languages and to preserve or reform their own traditions and customs.
  9. ^ Constitution of Singapore (1963) - Part XIII, Article 153A, Section 1: Malay, Mandarin, Tamil and English shall be the 4 official languages in Singapore.
  10. ^ Steinmüller, Hans (21 March 2021). "Para-nationalism: Sovereignty and authenticity in the Wa State of Myanmar". Nations and Nationalism. 27 (3): 880–894. doi:10.1111/nana.12709. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  11. ^ Wong, Wing. The Slow Death of China’s Dialects, McGill International Review, 21 Feb 2019.
  12. ^ 大眾運輸工具播音語言平等保障法 (An act for the protection of equality of languages for public transport announcements) (in Chinese)
  13. ^ "Hakka made an official language". Taipei Times. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  14. ^ National languages development act passed by Legislature, Taiwan Today, 26 December 2018.
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