新的统计数据显示，中国已经取代日本成为世界第二大经济体，分析人士将这一进展形容为中国飞速崛起成为世界大国的里程碑。
日本政府星期一发布了这些数据，显示日本今年第二季度的经济增长低于预期。
东京说，日本四月、五月和六月的国民生产总值(GDP)为1万2千8百80亿美元，而中国同期的国民生产总值则为1万3千3百70亿美元。
多年来，中国经济增长保持在10%左右，中国迅速超越其他世界经济大国，中国经济在超越日本之前，已经超越法国、英国和德国。
但是专家说，中国经济要想赶上美国，还需要多达20年。美国的年国民生产总值超过14万亿美元，仍保持在几乎是中国的三倍水平。
New figures show China has overtaken Japan to become the world’s second largest economy — a development analysts describe as a milestone in China’s meteoric rise as a world power.
The figures came Monday from the government of Japan, which noted its own growth was slower than expected in the second quarter of this year.
Tokyo said its economy as measured by Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, stood at $1.288 trillion during April, May and June, compared to China’s $1.337 trillion in the period.
With years of economic growth in the 10 percent range, China has been rapidly climbing the ranks of top economies, surpassing France, Britain and Germany before toppling Japan.
But experts say it will be as much as 20 years before China can catch the United States, which remains almost three times larger with an annual GDP of more than $14 trillion.