The impact of the French Revolution? - “too early to say.”

Thus did Zhou Enlai – in responding to questions in the early 1970s about the popular revolt in France almost two centuries earlier – buttress China’s reputation as a far-thinking, patient civilization.

The former premier’s answer has become a frequently deployed cliché, used as evidence of the sage Chinese ability to think long-term – in contrast to impatient westerners.

Fast forward to today and the ability of the Chinese to play the long-game has never been in more evidence.

In a single decade from 2001 up to 2010 Chinese trade with the rest of the world increased from £325 billion to £1.9 trillion.

Since 2005 China has invested £320 billion across the globe with 75% of this in developing countries.

There is an insatiable demand for raw materials to fuel the economic growth in China and commodities such as Oil, Minerals, Precious Metals and Fuel are the prizes for these investments.

The ongoing crisis in Western economies has provided ample opportunity for China to assert its economic strength and China has now usurped the US as the largest foreign investor in Germany.

We are already seeing Chinese companies investing in such diverse areas as the French Wine industry or making acquisitions in the US/European Food Industry and this will undoubtedly continue as China accelerates its move into Western markets.