As his eyes dart back and forth from his office computer, Xue Jianmin cheerily admits to spending an hour each day on one of China’s numerous discussion websites. But Mr Xue, chief financial officer of Shanghai Tyre and Rubber, is no work-dodger.

He is fishing for information on the site of the Shanghai National Accounting Institute, whose forums allow debate on regulations that are set to change the way his company presents itself to the world and, in turn, the way the world views Chinese companies.