Il sorpasso.

Ma non c'era già stato? Boh. Comunque...il New York Times celebra il sorpasso dell'economia cinese ai danni di quella giapponese,
rinforzato dai pessimi dati sull'economia giapponese resi noti stanotte.  The recognition came early Monday, when Tokyo said that Japan’s economy was valued at about $1.28 trillion in the second quarter, slightly below China’s $1.33 trillion. Japan’s economy grew 0.4 percent in the quarter, Tokyo said, substantially less than forecast. That weakness suggests that China’s economy will race past Japan’s for the full year. 
Il sorpasso dell'economia U.S.A. è previsto per il 2030. La corsa pare inarrestabile anche perchè per la maggior parte dei cinesi il benessere è ancora lontano:  China is in the throes of urbanization and is far from developed, analysts say, meaning it has a much lower standard of living, as well as a lot more room to grow. Just five years ago, China’s gross domestic product was about $2.3 trillion, about half of Japan’s.
This country has roughly the same land mass as the United States, but it is burdened with a fifth of the world’s population and insufficient resources.
Its per capita income is more on a par with those of impoverished nations like Algeria, El Salvador and Albania — which, along with China, are close to $3,600 — than that of the United States, where it is about $46,000.

Augurando alla Cina che non finisca così: