主题：【原创】新马华人史 -- 颜子

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is learning that lesson. The firm's plan to appoint Richard Ong, a Malaysian-born Chinese, to head its venture in China was derailed by concerns he wouldn't be able to pass the test, required of all ``senior managers, directors and supervisors'' since November. Instead, New York-based Goldman promoted Zha Xiangyang, a native Chinese, in May.

China's approach is unusual. Neither Japan nor Hong Kong test top managers at securities firms. In both places, specialists such as analysts and fund salesmen must pass job-specific tests that can be taken in English.

``The government may be trying to raise the status of spoken and written Chinese as an international business language,'' says Zhang, 38. ``The message is: If you want to do business here, you have to learn our language.''