When did English become compulsory teaching in China? I ask this because about 12 years ago at a previous job, we were interviewing, by phone, potential offshor

When did English become compulsory teaching in China? I ask this because about 12 years ago at a previous job, we were interviewing, by phone, potential offshore developers by phone and of the dozen or so we interviewed, we always had to go through a translator. Apparently, none of the devs spoke a lick of English. Not sure if it was limited to verbal communication or included written/typed.