Forget the romance languages. If you really want your child to be ready for the future, you might want him to crack open some Chinese language textbooks.

Since President Obama met with Chinese President Hu Jintao at the White House in January, there are more reasons than ever to believe China holds the key to all of our futures.

For starters, China owns us – or soon will, as they continue to snap up U.S. treasury bonds. China is now the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt, just under $900 billion. The Chinese also have a significant financial stake in many other countries around the world.

It was recently reported that China has lent more money to developing countries in the past two years than the World Bank.