Ability in English no longer needed for promotion

A recent policy change by top authorities means that people seeking higher ranks in technical and professional fields will no longer need to pass an English language test as part of the promotion process.

The new policy, issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, aimed at breaking down barriers in evaluating and promoting talented professionals.

The change was announced before the latest annual English test was held on Saturday and large numbers of people who had registered to take the test did not show up at examination halls. In Sichuan province alone, more than 10,000 people, or 17 percent of those registered, did not end up taking the test.