The Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics (CJAL) (formerly known as Teaching English in China – CELEA Journal) was created in 1978 as a newsletter by the British Council, Beijing. It is the affiliated journal of the China English Language Education Association (founded in 1981 and now the Chinese affiliate of AILA [International Association of Applied Linguistics]).

The Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics is the only English language teaching (ELT) journal in China that is published in English, serving as a window to Chinese reform on ELT for professionals in China and around the world. The journal is internationally focused, fully refereed, and its articles address a wide variety of topics in Chinese applied linguistics which include – but also reach beyond – the topics of language education and second language acquisition.

Beginning with volume 34 in 2011, the journal is now co-published by De Gruyter Mouton, the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP), and the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy.