Why Doesn't China Speak English?

[Beijingwalker]

Why Doesn't China Speak English?
Jul 22, 2026

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What happens when you travel to China and realize that… not everyone speaks English?

For many Western travelers, this can be a genuine culture shock. But after living in China, I started wondering why we even expect people around the world to speak English in the first place...

English may be the world's global lingua franca, but that DOES NOT MEAN it's everyone's responsibility to learn it. China has a massive domestic market, a relatively low dependence on international tourism, and a society that functions perfectly well without English being part of everyday life.

 

[Beijingwalker]

Not every single Chinese doesn't speak English, we have a whole bunch of Chinese users here speaking perfect English. She means the Chinese general population don't speak any English.

 

[ety]

It's already too much pressure on Chinese students to learn English as compulsory in schools. English should be only optional for Chinese students. There are too many stores signs in English only.

 

[Beijingwalker]

China developed from one of the poorest shitholes in the world to one of the most advanced powers in less than one generation without speaking English. There's no motivation for the Chinese people to learn English.

 

[Beijingwalker]

For artificial countries like US and India, English is the unifying force to hold those fake countries together. China is an old civilisation, with natrually formed culture and statehood, English as a cohesion force isn't needed here.