Before the 2008 crisis, there was much talk of global imbalances, and the need for the trade-surplus countries, like Germany and China, to increase their consumption. That issue has not gone away; indeed, Germany’s failure to address its chronic external surplus is part and parcel of the euro crisis.
在2008年的危机之前，有很多人谈到全球经济不平衡及贸易顺差国（像德国和中国）需要增加其消费。这个问题并未消失；确实，德国无法抹去的长期性外部顺差正是欧元危机爆发的重要成因之一。中国顺差占GDP比重已经下降，但其长期的影响尚未显现出来。