Donald Trump is almost as obsessed with China as he is with building a wall and making Mexico pay for it. The frontrunner for the Republican nomination in the US presidential race scatters references to the country almost compulsively throughout his speeches, accusing it of cheating and tricking America while also insisting he really “loves” China.

Strange as it may seem, the affection appears to be mutual. Mr Trump was viewed favourably by just over half of those polled last month by Global Times, the nationalist, and usually anti-American, government news-paper. Compare that with his own country, where just one-third of those asked in a Washington Post-ABC News poll last week viewed him favourably.

So, given the choice, would authoritarian China be more likely than the land of the free to elect Mr Trump? The truth is — and this will probably be a little distressing to the vainglorious reality TV star — the vast majority of Chinese people have never even heard of him.