<p>This systematic review synthesizes empirical evidence on the challenges Chinese university students face in English-language communication and proposes evidence-based solutions. Following the PRISMA framework, 3132 articles were retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, and ERIC; 129 peer-reviewed studies published between January 2010 and November 2024 met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis, employing both deductive coding and inductive coding was conducted independently by three researchers, achieving 95% inter-rater agreement. The coding process identified 47 initial codes, which were progressively collapsed into 12 sub-themes and finally aggregated into three major thematic clusters. The findings reveal three thematic clusters of challenges: i) psychological (e.g. language anxiety, boredom, unwillingness to communicate, and Chinese English identity conflict), ii) sociocultural (e.g. rural-urban disparities, limited speaking environment, and Chinese cultural aphasia), and iii) policy-pedagogical (e.g. exam-driven instruction, teacher-centered pedagogies, and absence of a unified national English language proficiency standard). While the Chinese government has made substantial investments, persistent gaps in equitable resource distribution and pedagogical innovation remain. Based on these findings, the study proposes an integrative conceptual framework that maps the interplay between the three challenge categories and their collective impact on English language learning outcomes. The study offers several actionable recommendations for policymakers, educators, and curriculum designers, including adopting China’s Standards of English Language Ability (CSELA), integrating intercultural competence training, and adapting communicative language teaching approaches to context.</p>