When the British Council published a study saying China had more English speakers than India readers with experience of both countries wondered aloud where China was hiding all those Anglophones. Even in Shanghai, with its British colonial past, taxi drivers are about as likely to speak English as they are to obey traffic signs; neither has really caught on.
Now comes another study about how China is drawing neck and neck with India – and eroding the comparative advantage of the sub-continent.
EF, Education First, the international education company, on Wednesday published what it claims is “the world’s first index to compare the English-language ability of adults in different countries”. Based on free online tests completed by 2m adults around the world, the index ranks China and India almost equal. You can read the report here: www.ef.com/epi/download-full-report/