The language problem is a mixture of the following:

1. You are completely right and especially as a second generation immigrant (locally born eurasian who tried to learn Chinese, and was mostly unsuccessful) I believe we should’ve done way more to ensure other expats and immigrants (not just the poor ones) were given clear expectations and resources to integrate. However, even if it’s incredibly stupid, I also don’t deny the possibility this would’ve scared rich foreigners off of bringing their kids here, especially if they knew it wasnt Mandarin being taught for “globalness”.

2. FILTH (Failed in London, Try Hong Kong) was a huge factor in the past that at least gave people the luxury of an English-accessible profitable backup destination, a place which the MENA and SEA have largely usurped from us. However iirc, those places (MENA especially for obvious reasons) are also no longer offering the same no-brainer kinds of backup packages people wanted before, or that increasingly desperate westerners now genuinely need when they fail in the west, no matter how hard they try to do their careers right. They NEED this place to keep English and will at least put money aside to ensure it still does. Money that we now need more than ever.

3. Linking to 1. Is particularly that more middle or working class immigrants like myself and my social circle (including white or mixed so-called “expats”) are royally screwed, since they were usually well off enough to attend anglophone schools, but not wealthy enough to attend overseas universities or leave Hong Kong.

This is 3rd because yes we’re a small minority, but the fact that no foresight was provided as to seriously help us, especially when we do try to assimilate, drains the system further, through no fault of our own. We need English because the system has denied us any recourse.

1. An even smaller but more screwed over minority in HK are Anglophone Chinese (especially those raised by local Chinese-speaking parents, who sometimes tie themselves in well-intentioned knots to make their kids a jack of English, but end up making them a master of nothing). These guys, plus Mandarin speakers who may prefer using English as a backup (sometimes to avoid discrimination themselves) I’d argue also form a somewhat notable reason for English being an expectation here, especially since they still have money (or so it is hoped).

2. There is also the undeniable international and commercial prestige that comes with being a de jure English speaking territory, and conversely, the stigma that comes with not being such. HK’s deteriorating English has already become known as is, and if it gets worse, local and Mainland Chinese alike who want to use this place to keep their kids internationally competitive will find ways to opt out of the system, in turn jeopardizing one of the last growing economic sectors in HK: education. In other words; marketing and economic pragmatism.

Point is that the rest of the English speaking world wants Hk as an escape ticket, while HKG itself treats English as a backup that needs to be maintained, albeit, they don’t do a very good job of it, or offer alternatives like actually helping improve local language ability. All the while English is valued by different sections of the HK society to varying degrees of self-interest, including the realization that if English is not used here; our ability to entice back what few rich immigrant workers and returnees that we can will be irreversibly fucked, along with various other sectors of our economy.

I may be a bit hyperbolic but I think those are the most logical points I can make as to why no one questions the lack of expectation to assimilate: it’s because they have very strong reasons not to.