A quick googling suggests it's probably Putonghua. Definitely mainland China rather than Hong Kong.
Mainland Government Official Speaking English:
- Flat-ish tone, almost native speaker English tone.
- Accurate, clear pronunciation of words — would likely have had elocution lessons while undergoing formal English language training.
- Almost perfect inflection.
- Almost perfect grammar.
- Dropped articles mostly absent.
- Conjugation issues mostly absent.
- Correct, sophisticated vocabulary with subtle meanings.
- Most telling, however, is the occasional but subtle use of incorrect or non-optimal prepositions, e.g., at the meantime. (All native Chinese speakers of English do this.)
Also:
- Discreet and humble tone.
- Occasional lilt to a sentence's cadence.
- Chinese-specific cultural references almost absent or very subtle.
- Body language is usually quietly confident, secure.
NB:
- Chinese officials who must communicate in English will truly have near native-level English. They cannot lose face under any circumstances.
Suggestions:
- Use carriage, posture, mannerisms, body language, and facial expressions to represent the Chinese official.
Easiest way: watch the news for the current Chinese president and premier. (Not listening for oral language here.)
- Use incorrect / non-optimal prepositions but keep them subtle.
Further Notes:
The near-native level of English that many native Chinese speakers have is quite common amongst high-ranking officials, corporate executives, lecturers, etc. This includes tone, inflection, and connected speech. Sometimes, the English level / knowledge surpasses native English speakers.
The reason is simple: Mainland Chinese students must learn English if they want to maximise their earning potential and also to travel. And the majority of Mainland students also speak their local dialect, which may or may not be comprehensible to non-dialect Chinese speakers.
As for Cantonese Chinese students, they must learn English
and Putonghua,
and any other Chinese dialect if they intend to do business in various provinces in China. Again, some Cantonese students will also speak their home / local dialect, which may be unintelligible to outsiders.
So, essentially, do we have a natural affinity for language? For most, yes. But it's obviously stronger in some of us than others. It's an anomaly not having English as a second language in Hong Kong these days; it's more common in China to not have English as a language skill due to geography, numbers, and speed of development (uneven across the country).
Finally...
If you need more pointers or examples please ask.