Throughout the course of this series of articles that had been looking at China literacy in Australia and the level of China literacy that exist among the general Australian populace, and in particular the level of China literacy that exist among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian educational system (whether the educational institution in question was located at the primary, secondary, or tertiary level of the Australian education system), it had been argued that the various relationships that had existed between Australia and the People’s Republic of China (whether the relationship that had existed between Australia and the People’s Republic of China had been diplomatic, economic, business-to-business, or people-to-people in nature) had been widely considered to be among the most important relationships that Australia has with Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories, and that due to the importance of the various relationships that Australia has with the People’s Republic of China had seen a strong emphasis that had been paid to both the teaching, as well as the study, of China and the Chinese (Mandarin) language at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system, and this had especially been the case in regards to educational institutions that had been located at the tertiary level of the Australian education system, which had played an important role when it comes to increasing the level of China literacy that had existed among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located at both the primary and secondary levels of the Australian education system. And when it comes to increasing the level of China literacy among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system (as well as the level of Asia literacy among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system more generally), governments – as well as think tanks – had released both policy papers, as well as white papers, that had been aimed at increasing the level of China literacy that had existed among students who had undertaken study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system in order to better prepare students for both the challenges, as well as the possibilities, that had been presented by the “Asian Century” and the rise of Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories.

When it came to the various policy papers and white papers that had been released by both governments and think tanks that had been aimed at increasing the level of Asia literacy (and, more specifically, the level of China literacy) that had existed among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system (whether the educational institution in question had been located at the primary, secondary, or tertiary level of the Australian education system), the most important of these policy papers and white papers had been the Australia in the Asian Century white paper that was released in October 2012 by the Australian Federal Government, which, at the time, was led by Prime Minister Julia Dillard of the centre-left Australian Labor Party), and that the Australia in the Asian Century white paper identified four Asian languages other than English as ‘priority’ Asian languages other than English in which students who were undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system were encouraged to undertake study in one of the four Asian languages other than English that were identified as a “priority” Asian language other than English in the Australia in the Asian Century white paper (one of the four Asian languages other than English that were identified as a ‘priority’ Asian language other than English in the Australia in the Asian Century white paper being Chinese (Mandarin)) in order to better prepare students for both the challenges, as well as the opportunities, that had been presented by the “Asian Century” and the rise of Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories.

Throughout the course of this series of articles that had looked at China literacy in Australia and the level of China literacy that had existed among members of the general Australian populace, and in particular the level of China literacy that exist among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system (whether the educational institution in question had been located at the primary, secondary, or tertiary level of the Australian education system) and how important that the development of China literacy (as well as the development of Asia literacy more generally) to the future of Australia. In the past couple of decades, governments that had been located across all three levels of the Australian political system (whether the government in question had been located at the federal, state, or local level of the Australian political system) had placed a strong emphasis on both the teaching, as well as the study, of Asia and Asian languages other than English (and in particular the teaching, as well as the study, of the four Asian languages other than English that were identified as “priority” Asian languages other than English that were identified as “priority” Asian languages other than English in the Australia in the Asian Century white paper) in order to better prepare students for both the challenges, as well as the opportunities, that had been presented by the “Asian Century” and the rise of Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories. However, and this had also been discussed in much detail throughout the course of this series of articles that had been looking at China literacy in Australia, despite the growing importance of the People’s Republic of China to Australia, in recent years, there had been a gradual decline in the level, depth, and quality of both the teaching, as well as the study, of China and the Chinese (Mandarin) language at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system, and, in turn, this decline in the level, depth, and quality of both the teaching, as well as the study, of China and the Chinese (Mandarin) language at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system has had negative ramifications for the level of China literacy that exist among members of the general Australian populace, and this can, in turn, have negative ramifications for the image of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese people that exist among the general Australian populace.

However, when it comes to the development of China literacy that exist among members of the general Australian populace, and in particular the level of China literacy that exist among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system (whether the educational institution in question had been located at the primary, secondary, or tertiary level of the Australian education system), the level, depth, and quality of both the teaching, as well as the study, of Chin and the Chinese (Mandarin) language at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system has not been the only variable that can have an impact on the level of China literacy that had existed among members of the general Australian populace, as another variable that can have an impact on the level of China literacy (as well as the level of Asia literacy more generally) had been the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of key news and current affairs events that had been emanating from the People’s Republic of China in large sections of the Australian media ecosystem (whether the media outlet in question had been part of the so-called “mainstream media” or is part of the so-called “alternative media”). As had been discussed throughout the course of this series of articles that had been looking at China literacy in Australia and the level of China literacy that exist among members of the general Australian populace, the various media outlets that makes up the wider Australian media ecosystem (whether the media outlet in question is part of the so-called “mainstream media” or is part of the so-called “alternative media”) often serves as the people’s window on the outside world – a role that became more important during the years of the coronavirus pandemic when travel was largely restricted in order to stop the spread of coronavirus – and that an argument could be made that the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of key news and current affairs events that had been emanating from the People’s Republic of China (as well as the level, depth, and quality of the coverage of key news and current affairs events that had been emanating from Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories more generally) can have ramifications for the image that members of the general Australian has had negative ramifications for the level of China literacy that exist among members of the general Australian populace, and this in turn can have negative ramifications for the image that members of the general Australian populace has of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese people.

The third variable that was looked at in regards to the level of China literacy in Australia and the level of China literacy that exist among members of the general Australian populace (and in particular the level of China literacy that exist among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system (whether the educational institution in question was located at the primary, secondary, or tertiary level of the Australian education system) that was looked at in this series of articles had been the various relationships that had existed between Australia and the People’s Republic of China (whether the relationship in question had been diplomatic, economic, business-to-business, or people-to-people in nature). As had been discussed throughout the course of this series of articles, the various relationships that had existed between Australia and the People’s Republic of China had been widely considered to be among the most important relationships that Australia has with Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories; however, and this had also been discussed throughout the course of this series of articles that had been looking at China literacy in Australia and the level of China literacy that exist among members of the general Australian populace, in recent years, the various relationships that had existed between Australia and the People’s Republic of China had become the most controversial relationships that Australia has with Asia and its constituent nation-states and territories, and an argument could be made that the controversies that had emerged in regards to the various relationships that had existed between Australia and the People’s Republic of China has had negative repercussions for the level of interest among members of the general Australian populace to undertake study of China and the Chinese (Mandarin) language, and that this in turn has had negative ramifications for the level of China literacy that existed among members of the general Australian populace.

Throughout the course of this series of articles, I had looked at several variables that had influenced the level of China literacy (and, more generally, the level of Asia literacy) that had existed among members of the general Australian populace, and in particular the level of China literacy that exist among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system (whether the educational institution in question had been located at the primary, secondary, or tertiary level of the Australian education system), and how the reduction in the level of emphasis that had been paid to the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese (Mandarin) language across all sectors of the wider Australian society has had negative ramifications for the level of China literacy (and, more generally, the level of Asia literacy) that exist among members of the general Australian populace, and in particular the level of China literacy that exist among students who had been undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system (whether the educational institution in question had been located at the primary, secondary, or tertiary level of the Australian education system), and that this, in turn, can have negative ramifications for the image that members of the general Australian populace has of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese people. In this regard, an argument could be made that this decline in the level of China literacy (and, more generally, the level of Asia literacy) that exist among members of the general Australian populace, and in particular the level of China literacy that exist among students who had undertaken study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system, when combined with the active encouragement from governments that had been located across all three levels of the Australian political system (and in particular governments that had been located at both the state and federal levels of the Australian political system) for students to undertake study in subjects that are in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields of study at the expense of subjects that are in the SASH (the Humanities, the Arts and Social Sciences) fields of study, the latter including the teaching, as well as the study, of Asia.

So, with all that said, what does the future hold for both the teaching, as well as the study, of China and the Chinese (Mandarin) language at educational institutions that are located across all three levels of the Australian education system? And will the state of affairs in regards to the various relationships that had existed between Australia and the People’s Republic of China (whether the relationship in question is diplomatic, economic, business-to-business, or people-to-people in nature) and the importance of these relationships between Australia and the People’s Republic of China see a renaissance in the teaching, as well as the study, of China and the Chinese (Mandarin) language among members of the general Australian populace, and in particular among students who are undertaking study at educational institutions that are located across all three levels of the Australian education system? In this final article in this series of articles that had been looking at China literacy in Australia and the level of China literacy that had existed among members of the general Australian populace, and in particular the level of China literacy that exist among students who are undertaking study at educational institutions that had been located across all three levels of the Australian education system, I will be looking at the future of China literacy in Australia and how the various areas of the wider Australian society, led by governments that are located across all three levels of the Australian education system (whether the government in question is located at the federal, state, or local level of the Australian political system) can work together to increase the level of China literacy (as well as to increase the level of Asia literacy more generally) among the general Australian populace, and in particular among students who are undertaking study at educational institutions that are located across all three levels of the Australian education system (whether the educational institution in question had been located at the primary, secondary, or tertiary level of the Australian education system) for the challenges, as well as the opportunities that awaits.

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