The People's Republic of China is riding high. As it celebrated its 60th birthday yesterday – the most auspicious day in the Chinese calendar – it was hard not to be awed by the spectacle of a great civilization stirring. Very soon, China will surpass Japan as the world's second-largest economy and, by some reckoning, will overtake the US, in purchasing-power-parity terms, within a decade. Just as important, China has recovered its self-confidence, lost during 150 years of colonial humiliation, civil strife and poverty. It has hosted the Olympics. It is making its presence felt internationally, buying up global oil reserves and influencing countries from Asia to Africa. It has floated the idea of an international currency to replace the dollar, a sign it regards the days of US pre-eminence as numbered.
中華人民共和國正順風(fēng)前進(jìn)，在十一慶祝成立60周年（這是中國日歷上最重要的一天）之際，人們很難不對一個(gè)偉大文明躍躍欲試的壯觀場面感到敬畏。不久，中國將超越日本，成為全球第二大經(jīng)濟(jì)體；還有人預(yù)計(jì)，按購買力平價(jià)計(jì)算，10年內(nèi)中國將超越美國。同樣重要的是，中國恢復(fù)了自信，在長達(dá)150年的殖民恥辱、內(nèi)亂和貧窮中，中國曾經(jīng)失去這種自信。中國主辦了奧運(yùn)會(huì)，它正讓全世界感受到自己的存在，搶購全球石油儲(chǔ)量，并對亞非洲眾多國家施加影響。中國提出了結(jié)束美元作為國際貨幣的想法，這顯示在中國看來，美國優(yōu)勢地位的日子不長了。