A Chinese auto glass tycoon has caused a stir by shifting part of his empire to the United States and setting up a factory in Ohio, citing high taxes and soaring labour costs at home.

Cao Dewang's $600m (£486m) investment comes after president-elect Donald Trump threatened to declare Beijing a currency manipulator and slap 45pc punitive tariffs on Chinese imports to protect American jobs.

The 70-year-old tycoon's decision to open a glass factory in the eastern US state of Ohio in October - a rare case of jobs being exported from China to the US - triggered an outpouring of criticism on social media.