The World Bank Finds That China's Economy is Forty Percent Smaller than Economists Had Thought
27 December 2007
世界银行发现，中国经济比经济学家原先认为的（规模）小40%。
2007年12月27日
This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
China has one of the world's fastest growing economies. In two thousand seven, the Chinese economy grew by more than eleven percent for most of the year.
这是VOA特别英语的经济报告。
中国是世界上发展最快的经济之一。在2007年，中国经济在大部分时间里增长超过11%。
But recently the World Bank announced that the Chinese economy was smaller than had been thought. The World Bank released its International Comparison Program report on December seventeenth. It said that the size of the world economy had been overestimated. And it found that the total value of goods and services produced by China had been overestimated by forty percent.
但是，最近世界银行宣布，中国经济比原先认为的（规模）小得多。世界银行在12月17日公布了国际比较项目报告。报告说，世界经济规模高估，并且发现中国生产货物和提供服务的总价值高估40%。
The World Bank used new tools to compare the economies and buying power of people in one hundred forty-six countries. This year's report marked the first time that China took part in the World Bank's International Comparison Program.
世界银行使用了新的方法，对比了146个国家的经济规模与居民购买力。本年度报告标志着中国首度参与世界银行国际比较项目。
The World Bank says China is the second largest economy after the United States by its new measurements. But the revaluation has caused experts to reconsider economic progress in China.
世界银行说，根据其新衡量，中国是次于美国的第二大经济。但是，本次重估使专家们需要重新考虑中国经济的增长。
It also raises questions about the exchange rate of Chinese money. Critics have long argued that China should let the value of its money rise freely against the value of the dollar and other currencies. It may be that Chinese money is not undervalued if the Chinese economy is not as large as once thought. However, some experts point to other economic statistics to argue that China's money is undervalued.
本次重估也质疑中国货币汇率。批评家长期以来都认为，中国应让其货币随美国和其它货币自由浮动。如果中国经济没有原先认为的那样大，也许中国货币没有被低估。但是，一些专家提出其它经济统计，说中国货币是低估了。
China faces other problems as well. Inflation hit an eleven-year high in November. The country's huge trade surplus reached a record two hundred thirty-eight billion dollars in the first eleven months of this year. This has raised tensions with trading partners, such as the United States and the European Union. And China has been criticized for permitting its manufacturers to produce unsafe products.
中国也面临其它问题。11月的通货膨胀创了11年来的新高。今年前11个月，中国巨大的贸易顺差达到2380亿美元，这引起了与贸易伙伴之间的紧张，如美国和欧盟。另外，中国一直被批评为允许厂家生产不安全产品。
Two thousand seven marks another event for China's economy. It is the first year in which China invested more money in foreign countries than foreign countries invested in China. The Wall Street Journal says Chinese companies and the government invested over twenty-nine billion dollars in foreign companies. Investors from the rest of the world invested less than twenty-two billion dollars in Chinese companies this year.
2007年是中国经济另一大事件之年，中国在国外投资首次超过外国在中国的投资。华尔街日报说，中国公司和政府在国外投资超过290亿美元。其它国家投资者今年在中国公司中的投资低于220亿美元。
And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. Transcripts and archives are at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.
这是由Mario Ritter编写的、VOA特别英语的经济报道。关于文稿和档案，访问voaspecialenglish.com，我是Steve Ember。