Establishing how and when large N/Z values require modified or new theoretical tools is a major quest in nuclear physics. Here we report the first measurement of the lifetime of the 2{sup +}{sub 1} state in the near-dripline nucleus {sup 20}C. The deduced value of {tau}{sub #28;2{sup +}{sub 1}} = 9.8 ± 2.8(stat){sup +0.5}{sub −1.1}(syst) ps gives a reduced transition probability of B(E2;2{sup +}{sub 1}{yields}0{sup +}{sub g.s.}) = 7.5{sup +3.0}{sub −1.7}(stat){sup +1.0}{sub −0.4}(syst) e{sup 2}fm{sup 4} in good agreement with a shell model calculation using isospin-dependent effective charges.