NEW YORK – The biggest economic news of the year came almost without notice: China has overtaken the United States as the world’s largest economy, according to the scorekeepers at the International Monetary Fund. And, while China’s geopolitical status is rising rapidly, alongside its economic might, the US continues to squander its global leadership, owing to the unchecked greed of its political and economic elites and the self-made trap of perpetual war in the Middle East.
纽约—今年最大的经济新闻几乎没有引起什么主意：根据国际货币基金组织（IMF）的排名，中国取代美国成为世界最大经济体。而尽管中国的地缘政治地位也在随着经济实力而迅速提升，但美国仍在挥霍其全球领导力——拜其政治和经济精英肆无忌惮的贪婪和其作茧自缚的中东持久战所赐。