With the announcement of Japan’s unexceptional economic growth in the second quarter, China has officially surpassed Japan as the world’s second-largest economy today. Only five years ago, China’s GDP was about half of Japan’s, and its decades-long surge is not nearly done. According to the New York Times, the development “underscores China’s growing clout and bolsters forecasts that China will pass the United States as the world’s biggest economy as early as 2030.” This should be plenty of time for all of us to learn Mandarin, although what will probably happen, knowing America’s track record with planning ahead, is that we’ll wait until the last moment, decide it’s too late, and then just try to fake it as best we can.
