An economic weakling only 20 years ago, China is now the world’s second largest manufacturing power next to the US. Peter Marsh, the FT’s manufacturing editor, recently took a two-week, 8,000km tour in China to visit 15 companies - including locally owned businesses and the Chinese offshoots of multinationals.

He finds that China’s manufacturing prowess is growing rapidly, using technology that is increasingly similar to that in the developed nations. The interactions between China and the rest of the world are on the rise with a great cross flow of ideas and people.