Britain is a “second-rate power” that has been in decline for a century — yet London remains the most influential city in the world.

Those are the findings of a list of the globe’s most “necessary” cities, compiled by the business magazine Forbes.

London and New York topped the global list of the world’s most influential cities, although largely thanks to history, tradition and “inertia” — they are the most dominant principally because they always have been.

The British capital clinched top spot in part thanks to its position as a global transport hub with a high number of company headquarters, loose regulatory environment and judicial and political systems that have proved a model for the rest of the world.

But Forbes added that London’s status as the world’s most influential city was largely a hangover from its past glories.

“The United Kingdom may now be a second-rate power, but the city’s unparalleled legacy as a global financial capital still underpins its preeminence.”

Forbes based its city rankings on eight factors, including the level of foreign direct investment, the number of corporate headquarters, the amount of business types it dominates, ease of air travel to other global cities, the strength of financial services, technology and media power, and racial diversity.

Using those factors, Forbes found London and New York held a “hegemony” over the rest of the world, standing far ahead of their nearest rivals, Paris and Tokyo.

Rising stars were named as Singapore, currently in fifth place, Dubai in seventh and San Francisco, which is in 10th.

Cities that could leap into the top 10 in future include Seoul, currently number 16, Abu Dhabi, now in 20th, and Sao Paulo in 23rd.

福布斯：伦敦成全球最具影响力城市 

尽管大英帝国经过一个世纪的衰落，已沦为一个“二流强国”，但伦敦仍是全球最具影响力的城市。

此项全球最“显要”城市排名源自于商业杂志《福布斯》。

伦敦和纽约在全球最具影响力城市榜单上遥遥领先，虽然这在很大程度上归功于历史、传统和“惯性”的作用 — 主要是他们一直以来都处于领先地位。

英国首都伦敦榜单独占鳌头，一部分原因功归于其全球交通枢纽的地位，这里有大量的企业总部、宽松的监管环境以及完善的司法政治体系，这些方面可称为典范。

然而，《福布斯》也说伦敦能居全球影响力城市之首主要是延续着过往的辉煌。

“现在的英国也许已沦为一个二流强国，但伦敦一直以来作为全球金融中心这一无与伦比的传统仍支撑着其显赫地位。”

《福布斯》城市排行评选主要基于八个因素：外资直接投资水平、企业总部数量、优势产业数量、国际航空旅行便捷程度、金融服务实力、技术和媒体权威以及种族多元化程度。

根据这些因素，《福布斯》发现伦敦和纽约在全球城市中“雄霸天下”，与最接近它们的巴黎和东京相比遥遥领先。

后起之秀新加坡目前排名第五，迪拜排名第七，旧金山排名第十。未来有望跻身前十名的城市包括目前排名十六的首尔，排名二十的阿布扎比，以及排名第23的圣保罗。

Words to Learn 相关词汇

   【支撑】

    zhīchēng

    underpin

    give corroboration, strength, or support to

    【霸权】

    bàquán

    hegemony

    leadership or predominant influence