但是，据官方消息，截止到3月份，美国最大的国外债权人——中国手中仍然持有1.14万亿美元的美国国库券。这比美国第二大债权国日本足足高出了26%。

    一方面，中国经济自身也面临增长趋缓以及持续通货膨胀等诸多问题，令其有些自顾不暇；另一方面，美国达到其债务最高限额，这一世界最大的债券市场由此被拖入了极为荒诞的境地。尽管如此，与以往任何时候相比，中国都更不可能放弃手中的美元。

    经济学家开始质疑经济复苏的力度，有关美国主要债权国的最新报告在此时公 布。随着投资者卖出股票和商品期货等风险更大的资产， 经济学家的种种担心倒促使人们购买政府债券。

    3月份，外国人买入的美国证券净值合计240亿美元。

    与此同时，美国开始提高其债务最高限额。国会中的共和党人亦以此为由向奥巴马政府施压，强迫其同意缩减开支。虽然听起来不免有空穴来风之嫌，但从理论上讲，这场政治僵局有可能导致美国拖欠债务。不过没有任何迹象表明各金融市场已对此感到担忧。

    3月份经济数据恶化前，10年期美国国库券收益率为3.58%。相形之下，现在收益率降至3.18%。 这个世界最终可能会抛弃美元，但首先得找到能替代它的货币才行。但是，眼下这种货币还不知在哪儿呢。

    译者：大海

    But America's biggest foreign creditor continued to hold $1.14 trillion of Treasury securities through official channels as of March – 26% more than Japan, the second-biggest lender to the United States.

    And with China struggling with its own economic ills, such as slowing growth and persistent inflation, the idea of China dumping its dollar holdings seems more remote than ever -- even as the U.S. hits the debt ceiling, taking the world's biggest bond market into strange territory.

    The latest report on the major foreign holders of U.S. debt comes as economists are starting to question the strength of the economic recovery. Those worries tend to boost demand for government bonds, as investors trade out of riskier assets such as stocks and commodities.

    All told, foreigners bought a net $24 billion of U.S. securities in March.

    At the same time the United States is bumping up against its debt ceiling, a fact that Republicans in Congress are using to push the Obama administration to agree to spending cuts. The political impasse could lead to a technical default on U.S. debt, though that is far from certain and there is no sign the markets are nervous about the same.

    The 10-year Treasury recently yielded 3.18%, down from 3.58% in March before economic data turned sour. The world may eventually flee the dollar, but first it will have to have an alternative -- something that isn't even on the horizon right now.