But Mr Mitchell, perhaps fretting about emerging, rival aid-givers such as China, shows no sign of doing so.

ECONOMIST: Reforming foreign aid

But as the China episode shows, it hasn't been easy to go native.

FORBES: Magazine Article

China demand shows no signs of slowing, as just reported by Burberry, another luxury brand.

FORBES: Apple Will Deliver Q4 with Very Bright Setup into FY2012

China is rapidly gaining on the U.S., as the graph above shows.

FORBES: Connect

Overall debt levels in many Asian economies are lower than in the West, but debt burdens relative to individual income are up to 30% higher compared with the U.S. in countries such as Malaysia, China, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and India, HSBC research shows.

WSJ: Loans Surge to Asia's Growing Middle Class

The fire sale, first reported by David Baker of the San Francisco Chronicle, shows that even as the Chinese solar industry struggles with its own severe financial problems China is poised to scoop up U.S. technology on the cheap.

FORBES: Can China Save Silicon Valley's Struggling Solar Technology?

According to Plaid Cymru AM Nerys Evans, evidence shows that some local authorities across Wales ship their waste for recycling as far afield as China, Brazil and India.

BBC: Welsh Finance Committee