Thank you for sharing this provocative WSJ article of considerable interest to many English teachers and many more Chinese. Why should 400 million Chinese actually speak English?

Allow me to add another element to this debate. Since the vast, vast majority of Chinese will never leave China, the usual response remains better jobs in bigger cities. This conventional wisdom probably matches the life experience of 50 million or so Chinese. Note the considerable gap between 400 million and 50 million - and these may be very generous estimates.

Within this lucky group of Chinese, some - perhaps even a million - will seek to study abroad. Of course, the number who actually get to study abroad is far, far, far fewer. Allow me, however, to argue that English may less essential than widely assumed even for Chinese students seeking to improve their lives and study abroad. Many American colleges and universities seem to be chasing international students with considerable energy, and we know that admission standards widely vary. If the motivation for learning English is simply to get a student visa, one may not need to score 100, 90, or sometimes even 70 on the TOEFL test. This trend, naturally, reduces the "need" for excellent reading, writing, and speaking skills in English. There is almost always some language school looking to help bring students develop their English skills.

Once Chinese students arrive in the United States, one would expect them to slowly, systematically, and gradually improve their English skills. If students are eager and focused, they often make great progress, develop relationships with native English speakers, and have an authentic learning experience and sometimes become global students. Sometimes, however, is not always. Many international students, including Chinese, find that they can survive - as many immigrants do - with a fairly small vocabulary. They often can also "survive" in schools - even colleges - by translating the materials, watching videos, and taking courses that require limited writing such as engineering, math, and science courses. This situation also tends to re-enforce another common phenomenon: the self-segregation of international students and relative isolation from native speakers. How much do English skills develop if one's roommate speaks Chinese, the textbooks are translated into Chinese, and courses require little discussion or in class writing? Sometimes Chinese students study - and get decent grades - and still make minimum progress in their English. Sadly, some find out after graduation they lack the English skills to get a desirable position in the United States - and return to China with only slightly better English skills. This sad situation might be more common than widely suspected, and leads to increasing scepticism about the need for English.

So here's my take: English remains an choice, but not a real obligation. For ambitious, competitive Chinese students who seek to make their mark, learning English remains a vital skill - especially if you want to play on a global stage. English often remains a prerequisite for success in international business, academic, and entertainment worlds.

Yet the vast majority of Chinese, like the vast majority everywhere, do not lead global lives. Elite lifestyles remain elite lifestyles. Therefore, the current mania for English does seem problematic from a pragmatic perspective. Why must 400 million Chinese learn English? Consider me curious.

Bottomline: Learning to speak English remains a choice.