Some Economists Rethink When, if Ever, China Will Pass U.S. in GDP

With China's urban youth unemployment at a high, a job fair was held in Beijing last month. AFP

The sharp slowdown in China's growth in the past year is prompting many experts to reconsider when China will surpass the U.S. as the world's largest economy -- or even if it ever will.

Until recently, many economists assumed China's gross domestic product measured in U.S. dollars would surpass that of the U.S. by the end of the decade, capping what many consider to be the most extraordinary economic ascent ever.