The rise of China to superpower status looks pretty much inevitable now, though at this time last year it was far from foretold. As the world’s number one factory floor, it had a formidable advantage over the others, but the political environment was not so favourable. Its predatory lending practices, the glitches in its ambitious Belt-and-Road-Initiative, as well as its business-to-the-core approach as the world’s creditor made countries wary of the dragon’s breath. Even the fa