China fell 20 places in an international ranking of English skills this year, but analysts said the language is still being spoken at a volume and level high enough to sustain foreign trade and investment. The international language training firm EF Education First’s 2023 English Proficiency Index placed the mainland in the 82nd spot among 113 countries and regions – and 14th among 23 Asian economies – according to its Standard English Test results. It ranked 62nd last year, 49th in 2021 and 38th in 2020.
The drop in mainland China's ranking was in sharp contrast with Hong Kong, which moved up two notches this year to 29th and became the “top region” for English in China, according to the Swiss company’s report. The mainland’s slide may mean that fewer citizens in the world’s second-largest economy care about the language, said Peng Peng, Executive Chairman of the Guangdong Society of Reform. But he added the trend does not mean English will be out of circulation among people who need it for trade, investment, or travel. “At foreign-invested enterprises, you still need it to discuss orders and contracts,” Peng said.
Though English remains a subject in the compulsory education system, schools have cut the amount of time spend teaching it. Sweeping reforms have been implemented to lighten student workloads, along with heated public debate over whether so much curricular focus should be placed on a Western language.
Elsewhere in Asia, Singapore held onto its No 2 ranking for a second year straight, 16 points behind top-ranked Netherlands. Japan came in at 87th and South Korea was 49th, both falling from their 2022 ranks. Indonesia moved up two places to 79th and Vietnam edged up to 58th. The Philippines, where English is a widely used second language, rose from No 22 to 20. Thailand and Malaysia lost marginal ground, but Malaysia still placed 25th and Thailand came in 101st.
Views of English may reflect opinions about the United States at a time of strained relations, said Dexter Roberts, Director of China Affairs at the University of Montana’s Mansfield Center. Beijing and Washington are struggling with trade and technology disputes, as well as differences over Taiwan and the South China Sea. “It’s symptomatic of a larger problem, which is less amiable relations with the West,” Roberts said. About 10 million people in the mainland speak “fluent” English today, according to Chinese internet firm Baidu. Children continue to learn the language in primary school, and adults study it voluntarily for education abroad or jobs in foreign firms. Fluent English is still common in China’s bigger cities, said Ker Gibbs, former President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, and Chamber members never complained about English proficiency, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
