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 Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Hong Kong, the latter of which has remained a high proficiency economy over the past three years.

China's steady decline in global rankings of English proficiency continues to stoke debate about students' prospects and potential risks to the country's international competitiveness.

Education reforms over the past few years have led to a reduction in the amount of time spent teaching English.

While the changes are ostensibly intended to lighten students' workloads, they come amid a growing debate about whether most Chinese people need to spend so much time studying the language – fuelled in part by a rising tide of nationalism that has seen some prominent figures warning against exposing people to foreign ideas.