The policy changes have correlated with slipping English language skills among Chinese, according to some studies.

The 2022 English Proficiency Index ranked China at 62, a low proficiency nation, down from a moderate proficiency ranking of 49 in 2021 and 38 in 2020.

China lagged behind the Philippines at 22, Malaysia at 24 and Hong Kong – which was categorised as high proficiency – at 31, according to the rankings by EF Education First released last month. India moved upwards to a moderate proficiency ranking of 52.

“Young adults in China, Indonesia and Japan have particularly low levels of English when compared to people over 30. China’s decline in score this year was driven exclusively by the country’s youngest cohort,” the report said.

“We find strong and consistent correlations between English and various measures of trade, innovation, human capital development and competitiveness,” it said, after analysing results of 2.1 million adults who took EF English tests in 2021.

China’s results are in sharp contrast with Singapore. The city state increased its ranking from 10th in 2020 to No 2 – a very high proficiency nation – this year, scoring the highest among 24 Asian economies. The Netherlands was ranked No 1.

“Singapore is certainly a leader in the region with English as the most widely spoken language,” said Mark Tibbatts, the managing director of recruiter Michael Page Hong Kong.

Chinese lawmakers call for schools to spend less time teaching English

While mainland China has seen a decline in English language proficiency, Hong Kong has been stable over the past three years.

Tiffany Wong, the director of commerce at Robert Walters Hong Kong, said that many employers in the region are looking for candidates who are trilingual in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.

Contrary to the EF results, she said more mainland candidates were appearing with high proficiency in both Mandarin and English, especially those who had returned from abroad.

But English proficiency is not the only important criteria for job candidates nowadays, according to Sue Wei, the managing director of Hays Hong Kong, adding soft and technical skills are also valued.

China’s ministry of education has banned primary and middle schools from using textbooks imported from overseas since 2020. Foreign language teaching accounts for 6-8 per cent of the curriculum for primary and middle schools, much lower than the 20-22 per cent devoted to Chinese language and 13-15 per cent for mathematics, the ministry said.

01:47

Vietnamese grandmas make for enthusiastic students, saying it’s ‘never too old to learn’

Vietnamese grandmas make for enthusiastic students, saying it’s ‘never too old to learn’

Universities also discourage the use of original English and translations, especially in more sensitive disciplines such as journalism and constitutional studies, according to some professors who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Adam Forrester, assistant dean at Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s faculty of humanities, said that language is not only about knowing the grammar, but being able to communicate clearly and appropriately.

The attitude of students in Hong Kong was different to the mainland because they “understand that effective language skills, especially in English, are of vital importance for future career advancement”.

“[And] Hong Kong has a competitive advantage in terms of language proficiency and critical thinking skills,” he said.

03:27

Former private tutors become top-selling live-streamers in China

Former private tutors become top-selling live-streamers in China

Christ Liang, an executive of a Chinese chip producer in Guangdong, said English proficiency remains critical for tech professionals, but the growing adoption of home-grown products has reduced demand for foreign languages.

“In recent years as foreign technology is replaced with Chinese-developed alternatives, many domestic buyers require document output in Chinese, so it is not a prerequisite for engineers to have good English skills,” Liang said.

Artificial intelligence may have also reduced the urgency for English proficiency, according to insiders in China’s exporting industry.

“Some salesmen in my company use online translation software to communicate with customers. I don’t care that much as long as they get new orders,” said Kent Liu, the co-founder of a digital printing factory in Guangdong.

Education ‘could offset the perils’ of China’s shrinking, ageing workforce

Penny Lin, a Shanghai-based director with an international advertising company, said the localisation push of multinational companies has also contributed to lower use of foreign languages during work.

“Some international brands cut budgets in China and hired locals as executives for Chinese branches, making English less necessary for daily work in our industry,” she said.

But Qu Duanxian, a mother of two who works as a civil servant in Chengdu, said English is still an important part of her children’s schooling.

“Foreign language will help broaden their horizons as a tool to learn the rest of the world. No matter whether they take on research, positions with external exchange, or study abroad in the future, English proficiency still matters,” said Qu, who has a son and a daughter.

The English tutorial centre Wall Street English in Hong Kong also sees increasing inquiries about learning the world’s business language from professionals in the banking, tourism, food and beverage industries.

“Hong Kong can help build the connection with our proven English proficiency and provide better communication in English based on understanding of cultures,” said Lysanda Lam, the director of the company.

“We believe the cooperation among different regions will remain the mainstream, and English plays an important part in communications.”