Abstract: The globalization of English has experienced the corporation and competition in English overseas promotion between Britain and America， the essence of which is power conflicts hidden in language promotion. There exists a two-way circular connection between language promotion and power， which is determined by the social attributes and cultural identity of a language. On the one hand， the act of language promotion relies on power. In addition to the mandatory promotion by the colonists， the effectiveness of language promotion depends on the individual preference of language recipients， which is directly related to the power of language possessors. On the other hand， the act of language promotion serves power. It consolidates the hard power of a nation by ideological infiltration and indirect economic functions， and also strengthens the soft power of a nation by its cultural benefits.

Key words: language promotion, power, English, globalization