Alisa, a 30-year-old Austrian who refused to give her full name, works for a media outlet in China. She sat the HSK intermediate exam last week, which includes listening, grammar, and comprehension.

"I found it very difficult, and I am not sure if I can pass it," she told the Global Times.

Alisa has been in China for three years, during which time she tried to study Chinese by reading newspapers, watching TV and speaking with her Chinese friends.

"I prepared for the test for more than one month with the help of a private teacher," she said. "I entered the exam just to push myself in the study of Chinese, but I don't think the HSK certificate, which is not widely recognized, is important when I am looking for a job."

Though she hasn't heard of the HKC, she said she is interested to know about the new exam.

Obtaining the HKC or HSK certificate is not a requirement of Chinese companies in hiring foreign employees in China, but is recognized as a prestigious qualification outside China and an asset for non-native Mandarin speakers when looking for work involving use of the language.

A human resources manager at a Beijing-based public relations company, who withheld his name, told the Global Times that the purpose of hiring foreign employees is to explore overseas markets, so there is no need for them to pass any Chinese language tests.

Wang Dengfeng, however, believes that with more and more foreigners and overseas Chinese studying or working in China, the demand for communication in Chinese is sure to increase.

"If the new test proves to be efficient, I expect it will be accepted as a reference by universities and companies when recruiting non-native speakers in the future," Wang said.

(Global Times April 28, 2010)