Australia has been at the leading edge of the debate over Chinese influence, including in politics and universities. In June it passed new counter-espionage laws which criminalise “covert, deceptive or threatening actions that are intended to interfere with democratic processes or provide intelligence to overseas governments”.

The laws are designed to include actions that might have fallen short of previous definitions of espionage.

In the UK so far there has been more caution. “Power, money and politics is going east, that’s the political reality we need to adjust to,” the chief of MI6, Alex Younger, said last month.

A government spokesman said: “We do not routinely comment on intelligence matters or the detail of any alleged threat we face. The government is alert to the array of potential threats the UK faces and takes national security extremely seriously.”

But senior officials in the UK talk about needing a nuanced approach and are wary of being caught in the middle of a damaging slugging match between Washington and Beijing. There is no doubt that if they had to choose between the Trump administration and China they would take America’s side. But they would rather not be faced with such a choice.

“We are unsure whether the rise of China is a threat or an opportunity. The truth is that it is both, but navigating that is difficult,” argues Robert Hannigan.

In Washington, while many officials believe it is vital to confront this challenge now, others fear China may already have been able to make sufficient strides forward economically to guarantee its influence globally.

Even with a crackdown under way, a few privately say that they fear it may already be too late to stop China's plan.