选自华盛顿邮报，链接见Shutdown in U.S., slowing growth in China fuel concerns over global economy。
Two women shop in Beijing. China’s economic growth is slowing — the government said it was 6.6 percent last year, the lowest in 28 years. (Gilles Sabrie/Bloomberg News)
By Heather Long and
Anna Fifield January 21 at 6:29 PM
DAVOS, Switzerland — Fears are rising（担忧加剧） about the state of the world’s biggest economies, with China posting its worst annual growth in decades and the United States injecting more uncertainty with tariffs and a lengthy（长期的） government shutdown.
China reported Monday that its economy expanded（增长，用词极为地道） by 6.6 percent last year — a figure that would be good for many countries but represents the slowest growth for China in 28 years. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund downgraded its expectations（下调预期） for the global economy, highlighting sharp declines in Europe and warning that the risks of a major slowdown have increased.
The pair of announcements came as top executives and world leaders gathered in this ritzy ski resort town for the annual World Economic Forum. In contrast to a year ago — when President Trump and other world leaders talked about global prosperity — this year attendees（与会者） expressed worry that the United States was undermining its own economy, and the rest of the world’s, via a trade war and the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history.
In the United States, the shutdown has already cut into growth, according to numerous economists. Even U.S. consumers, who have remained resilient（坚毅的） for months, have been shaken（动摇）. Early this month, consumer confidence slumped to the lowest level of Trump’s presidency, according to the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment survey.
While few see a recession（经济倒退迫在眉睫） as imminent, the high-level officials and executives at Davos catalogue（总结） a growing number of risks, including the trade war, the potential of Britain leaving the European Union without a final agreement with the E.U., rising interest rates, high global debt levels, and more polarized politics（极权政治） around the world.
“After two years of solid expansion, the world economy is growing more slowly than expected and risks are rising,” said Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund. “Does that mean a global recession is around the corner? No. But the risk of a sharper decline（严重的经济衰退） in global growth has certainly increased.”
The scene at Davos epitomized（浓缩） the changes in the world economy. A year ago, Trump and other foreign leaders gathered here to try to put their differences aside. It came at a time when the major countries were growing in sync with（与……同步的） one another, and Trump received a warm welcome after large U.S. corporate tax cuts.
But now Trump, British Prime Minister Theresa May and other world leaders are sitting out the conference, dealing with problems back at home, and the hope for expanded global business has been dashed（刺穿） by the trade war and other setbacks.
“I think there is anxiety. There are concerns the slowdown could be quite deep,” said John Hagel, co-chairman of Deloitte’s Center for the Edge, a research group. “The more we can show some progress and resolution of some trade disputes, that would help.”
The IMF is the latest institution to scale back its growth forecasts, following downward revisions（调整） by the Federal Reserve and many banks. The IMF predicts 3.5 percent global growth in 2019 and 3.6 percent in 2020, down from 3.7 percent forecasts for both years in the fall.
But IMF economists warned that they had already downgraded growth in China and the United States in the autumn because of the trade war and that they only see greater risks of a slide from here.
“It’s absolutely crucial for us to turn around the momentum, and policy can really help,” said Gita Gopinath, the new head of research at the IMF. “The downward revisions are modest; however, we believe the risks to more significant downward corrections are rising.”
The rapidly slowing euro zone, especially Germany, France and Italy, was the biggest factor in the revised predictions. Germany is struggling as exports weaken（放缓） and its auto sector tries to adjust to new regulations. France is trying to rebound from street protests over a climate tax that have dampened（使得大众沮丧） sentiment. And Italy is