Knowing how to write Mitsubishi PLC language or how to compose a component on a 5 axis machine center is way more important than knowing the first names of the Bronte sisters.

Why is it surprising? If you can't  write in your second language (provided you have sufficient vocabulary) then it's likely you can't write in your native language. Language ability has little to with thinking ability. Chinese education system is designed to kill independent thinking. Chinese teachers encourage and directly reward students who plagiarize.  So those few essays, most likely they don't even write them themselves.

If you provide the right instruction, you can teach them how to write in English. It's true that many Chinese students don't know how to write well, even in their own language, but I believe they can be easily taught how to write with the proper instruction.

Chinese students are very good students. They respect their teachers and have a great work ethic in the classroom. All of my students study for their tests and do their homework. Comparatively, in the West, students don't give a damn about anything.

I remember when I was in school, I rarely studied, disrespected teachers and often turned assignments in late. But, most of my students at my high school in China fear their teachers and will do whatever they ask.

While it's probably true most Chinese students are lacking in creativity and imagination, it's not true that they won't be productive members of society in the future.