If you plan to invest or take part in government, let it be known that Chinese will be your next step. Major investments in places like the Washington DC area have fallen through due to lack of understanding between cultures in addition to language barriers, according to inside sources at various investment firms in the area. It may seem like a bit of a stretch, but if you know Chinese Mandarin then you are able to know the way Chinese people think, act and communicate, and because of this, when it comes time to doing business you know how to properly engage with them in addressing business actions as well as respecting and upholding the manners and etiquette expected from them. You would expect the same form others in a different culture looking to do business so the same concept should apply to your own thinking.
The Chinese people are complex individuals in terms of their culture, society, history and means of doing business. Knowing the insides of this can be learned minimally through books and much more effectively through real-life experience. However, to get that experience you need to know what the other person is saying, so make it a point to learn Chinese Mandarin, as it will be a secret weapon for you for decades to come.