China English, Not a Legitimate Variety of English

China has a long history in its contact with English. With the increasingly influence of China expands in the worldwide stage, ‘China English’ has emerged correspondingly to satisfy her need to communicate its stories to the audiences around the world. And the situation has developed to the extent that some scholars and English learners are so confident in ‘China English’ as to conclude that it is a member of the ‘World Englishes’, varieties of English that developed in other parts of the globe outside native English-speaking countries. This conclusion goes too far when it is testified against different factors both at home and abroad. This article firstly introduces the background of the proposal of the concept “China English”, and then discusses the validity of the concept against Butler’s criteria, what standard English is from the Chinese English learners’ eye, the situation of China English in China, other elements preventing the popularity of China English, and in the end, by referring to relevant figures, the authors point out that standard English is a necessity for Chinese English learners and it is suggested that Standard English, instead of China English, still has its place in English teaching and learning in China.