China is hardly the most corrupt place that I have ever worked – but Beijing would not much like being lumped in with the other ones (Zaire under Mobutu Sese Seko anyone?).

Now China wants us all to think that it is rising above corruption. Virtually anyone who said anything at the 18th party conference that has just ended found a way to mention how much they hate it. And Beijing has diverted Wang Qishan, the west’s favourite economic reformer, from managing the economy to hunting corrupt officials. I am planning to do my bit to help him. It involves refusing to donate even one renminbi this holiday season, unless I know exactly how it will be spent. Sound simple? You’d be surprised.

In the 12 years since I adopted two Chinese babies, I’ve had plenty of time to practise donating cash to mainland orphanages. These days, I never do it unless coerced (or unless Half the Sky Foundation, a US charity, controls it). Unfortunately, coercion does sometimes come into it.