This paper aims to bring forward some refl ections and proposals for China’s national language policies through examining the pragmatics of language use in public discourse. With the ubiquity of the rife netspeak, language use is bound to undergo great changes in public discourse, for which we should be well prepared in order to have a proper attitude towards either the positive or the negative aspects of various emerging language phenomena, thus to further the national language policy and planning commitment. Having illustrated the actual language situation by citing a number of creative language use in a rapidly changing society, this paper holds that on the one hand, nowadays it is imperative to develop effective policies and a long term plan through establishing a unifi ed and authoritative leadership mechanism, on the other hand, to encourage language professionals to serve as the prestigious model in guiding good language behavior of the public. This includes allowing the creative use of language by the masses and enriching expressions to meet the needs for international communication. Meanwhile, we must vigorously adhere to pragmatic maxims of Chinese rhetoric, and promote appropriate language use in a given context. Finally, this paper expresses the author’s expectations for the national language policy and language planning.