By Frida Ghitis （CNN）
India rises, at last. For decades, India, the world's largest democracy, has despaired of watching its neighbors in China enjoy the fruits of prosperity. The world's only two countries with populations exceeding a billion souls have held an unspoken competition. While China's centralized economy has grown at a dizzying pace, India's has lagged, mired in corruption and ideologically stalled. That is about to change.
centralized economy 集权经济
at a dizzying pace 以极快步伐，
lag 落后，滞后，
mire 深陷
ideologically stalled 思想观念滞后
Ironically, it was communist-ruled China that proved more adept at market economics while India kept protectionist policies and remained leery of foreign investors. But now a new government is welcoming, even courting foreign investors -- including the ones from China -- and discarding the country's vaunted non-aligned foreign policy, even inviting Barack Obama as "chief guest," for Indian Republic Day in January, the first time an American president is granted that honor.
adept 擅长的, 内行的, 娴熟的
protectionist policies 保护主义政策
leery 猜疑的, 有戒心的
court 向…献殷勤, 追求
discard 丢弃, 抛弃
vaunted 大肆称赞的, 自我夸耀的，
non-aligned 中立的, 不结盟的
