From the year 1 to 1820, the two largest economies of the world were those of China and India. It is only in the last 200 years that Europe took off, followed by North America. When we view the immediate past in this light, it becomes clear that the past 200 years were an aberration, and all aberrations come to a natural end. Hence, it will be in the natural order of things for China and India to resume their pre-eminent positions by 2050, even earlier.