I am wondering what will happen if in 20 years' time, for example, most of the Chinese people active in work will speak and understand English quite fluently - will all those advantages for their career that you have mentioned still exist? Will there be enough positions on offer tom get them a job?

Remember - it is quite certain that not all Chinese people knowing English can and will go abroad, not all of them will be able to pursue high paying careers in management, etc.

To me, the current popularity of learning English is a part of a government and now the ESL industry campaign that tries to enforce the development of China opening to the international world after decades of political, economical and cultural isolation. With China becoming a global player this days, the need to communicate internationally does necessarily increase, and there is a development in China now that has already taken place in most parts of the non-English speaking Western world - English is a common second language there, and almost everybody, not only the highly educated, can speak and understand English sufficiently - from Sweden, Norway, down to the Netherlands, Italy and Spain, etc.

In those nations, the knowledge of English forms part of general education that already begins before middle school level. In those nations, knowing English has become a general requirement to fill even lower and less well-paid positions, and unlike in China these days, it is not a prerogative of an intellectual or a business elite to whom the knowledge of English is restricted.

China will experience the same development during the course of time; historically, China is a late-comer in this respect for obvious reasons.