The other day, another Hong Kong newspaper article concerned about the apparent relentless decline in English levels across Hong Kong was published. A simple trawl of the web shows a swath of pieces (24 from a simple search) on this topic going back 10 years, all lamenting the decline in English proficiency and what it might mean for our city. Clearly the commentariat care about this issue, but should we? The answer comes in terms of its global importance for trade, science and diplomacy.

Mathematics is the underpinning global language of science — intelligible to all who can grasp the universality of numbers — but English is the medium that also facilitates its transmission. English is the science “lingua franca” across all science areas and for all important, influential science journals, with only modest local language outlets in Russian, Chinese, French and German. This has huge global influence of direct importance to the industrial and increasingly high-tech science-based leading economies in the era of artificial intelligence, robotics, miniaturization, health and biotech.

A recent global survey was published by Education First titled “EF English Proficiency Index”. It is a useful 27-page snapshot-style document of the state of English across the globe in charts, maps, tables, statistics and inferences. It is based on sound sampling principles to assure a fair representation. I strongly recommend it for anyone with an interest in such matters. As an interesting comparison in Europe, there are 35 countries where more than 50 percent of the population can speak reasonably fluent English ranging from the Netherlands at 95 percent to Albania at 51 percent. Hong Kong ranks 29th, between Argentina (Spanish as native language) and Switzerland (French, German and Italian spoken). These countries are all in the high English proficiency capacity.

So, all is good then?

In Southeast Asia, the country with the highest level of English proficiency is our greatest rival, Singapore. It is second globally after the Netherlands, another remarkable fact. Hong Kong comes fourth in Asia after Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia, and about 6 percent above South Korea. The issue for many places, including Hong Kong, is the direction of travel for English proficiency, and here the picture is more nuanced.

So why is English so widely spoken anyway and does it matter?

The answer comes primarily from the emergence of European empires from the 16th to 19th centuries, when the British Empire was more successful than most, and of course the spinoff of the United States. Spanish, French and even Portuguese complete this empire-based global language diaspora, often usurping native tongues to near-extinction. It is also interesting to appreciate that although historical ties to several countries and regions like the US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, New Zealand, South Africa and Hong Kong left an enduring English-language legacy, the large majority of people who can speak English today do not come from these places.

English should matter to Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, and it remains important to ensure that English remains a key focus of all our systems if we want to retain our status as a truly global city on a par or above the bar with Singapore

A core reason is the legacy of the Industrial Revolution and the ensuing trade networks that emerged with the empire and then globally that were based largely on English. After this, there was the evolution of English proficiency as a prerequisite for opening doors and creating opportunities as trade, commerce, banking, education and science flourished across the globe. For similar reasons, Mandarin is emerging as a global language too.

Today, most globally elite universities are English-language-based — including the University of Hong Kong. This is changing with China emerging rapidly as a strong tertiary education player, but even here, much English is spoken on their campuses and by their young students.

EF report indicates that the global picture on English proficiency over 10 years is for a slight, positive incline. However, China itself seems to have seen the largest dip in proficiency over the last two to three years, but still above the baselines from 2011. One hopes this is temporary. In frequent visits to the Chinese mainland, I have been extremely impressed by the young people and students who have a strong grasp of English. In Hong Kong, China Daily is playing its part by running a school-based English competition — an excellent program that shows clear intent.

Among the important inferences from the EF study, I highlight a few. First, there is a strong correlation between a country’s wealth and the level of English proficiency. More efficient workforces tend to speak English. Second, as English emerged as a global language, it spread from trade to science to all domains, fostering interconnectivity and innovation. Third, the key industries are dominated by workforces that speak English, including aviation, information technology, engineering, pharmaceuticals, medicine, food and beverage, and entertainment.

Speaking English permits our young people to study overseas at top universities, engage in international research, work for globally influential companies, and be exposed to different ideas and perspectives from different cultures but with a common linguistic communication medium. English has led to a much more interconnected world whose true value is hard to quantify. However, the greatest global threats can be tackled only if international solidarity and cooperation become real coordinated action, and here the common language of communication is English. So, yes, English should matter to Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, and it remains important to ensure that English remains a key focus of all our systems if we want to retain our status as a truly global city on a par or above the bar with Singapore.

The author is a professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Hong Kong, the director of its Laboratory for Space Research, and vice-chairman of the Orion Astropreneur Space Academy.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.