People in Shanghai have the highest comprehension of English in China, followed by citizens of Hong Kong, Beijing, Taiwan and Tianjin, according to a report released by Education First (EF), the Xinmin Evening News reported.
The study's proficiency index involved participation of 950,000 people from 72 countries and regions across the globe, and tested their proficiency in English reading and listening.
Chinese mainlanders rose eight spots to 39th place among non-native English-speaking countries, which sees the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden as the top three. Singapore became the first Asian country with a "very high" English proficiency according to the ranking, while the Chinese mainland is still ranked "low" overall, at 12th place in Asia.
Shanghai, together with Beijing and Tianjin, rank "moderate" proficiency.
