Quite. China's rise – it prefers the term “development” – promises to be perhaps the greatest event of our time. A prosperous China would immeasurably improve the lives of more than a billion people.
这话没错。中国的崛起(它自己更喜欢“发展”一词)有望成为我们这个时代的最重大事件。一个繁荣昌盛富的中国，将难以估量地改善10多亿人的生活。
But the history of great nations rising is not a happy one. China's experience with Japan, another neighbour with global pretensions, showed that all too clearly. China's recent history suggests it is more interested in maintaining the borders established during the 1644-1911 Qing dynasty than in expanding further. But Beijing's neighbours are, not unreasonably, nervous about the military clout of an ambitious one-party state.
但是，大国崛起的历史并不让人欣喜。中国与日本这个有着全球抱负的邻国打交道的经历，早已让这一切表露无遗。中国近年的历史显示，它更在意的是保持1644至1911年清朝时期确立的疆域，而非进一步扩张。中国的邻居对一个雄心勃勃的、一党制国家的军事实力感到紧张，那也并非不合情理。