ChinaCache will fall short of doubling its annual revenue for the first time in 2009, Xu says, instead of increasing revenue between 75% and 85%--figures that sound disappointing only in China's larger-than-life Internet world.

FORBES: Companies, People, Ideas

Eswar Prasad, a professor of trade policy at Cornell University, agrees with Paulson that the U.S. should work to help China establish a sound financial system instead of narrowly focusing on the exchange rate between the yuan and the dollar.

FORBES: China's Currency Problems

The long-term sound and steady growth of China-U.S. relations serves the fundamental interests of both countries.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama's Bilateral Meeting with Premier Wen of China | The White House

That might sound far-fetched, yet China, once the world's technological leader, provides a sobering lesson on how economies can slide down the international league table.

ECONOMIST: Playing leapfrog