Hu Jintao paused briefly for dramatic effect and fixed a sly grin on the American reporter who had just posed an awkward question about China’s intentions towards the US. “We wanna buy all kinds of stuff from you,” he purred.

Actually, that is not strictly true. It was Barack Obama, US president, who did the reporter-teasing during his White House press conference with Mr Hu, his Chinese counterpart, and he was talking about selling American stuff to China. But the message about Chinese purchasing power was very much the subtext of Mr Hu’s trip to the US last week.

Under pressure over its mercantilist currency policy and the seeming abrasiveness of some of its foreign policy moves, China is trying to seduce its critics with tales of booming domestic demand back home. While Mr Hu was making his way around Washington, Beijing announced that growth last year reached another eye-popping 10.3 per cent.