Language no barrier to law enforcement in China

When two foreigners were pulled over riding a motorcycle without a license plate in Xi’an in China’s Shaanxi province, they were surprised to find the police officer was able to speak English to enforce the law.

After stopping them, the officer, Li Yanqi, first asked them if they could speak Chinese. One of them hesitated and then said no, so Li continued the questioning in English. 

It turned out that the two foreigners were overseas students at the university in Xi’an. The motorcycle was unlicensed, and neither of the students had Chinese driving licenses. The motorcycle was temporarily confiscated. 

Traffic police officer Li Yanqi explained he had worked in Singapore for about two years where he mastered the basics of English and gained a lot of practice in speaking it. 

[Video source: thepaper.cn]