RCA televisions, IBM computers and now, perhaps, the Hoover vacuum cleaner - the Chinese thirst for well-known brands remains unquenched as a consortium led by Haier makes its informal $1.28bn approach for Maytag, the US home appliances group.

Haier is aiming to join the growing band of Chinese companies, such as TCL and Lenovo, which have tried to use acquisitions to gain presence in international markets and win the sort of brand-name recognition that would otherwise take decades to build up.