Li Keping is an earnest man. That is what strikes you first about this polite, enthusiastic former academic who led investments at one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds for five years – and played a big part in establishing it as an investor with global profile.

Now acting as the fund’s senior adviser, he continues to act as an ambassador to other major investors. And he has a clear message for them: the China Investment Corporation, which manages $941bn of the country’s foreign exchange holdings on behalf of the government, sees itself as a bridge connecting Chinese companies and investors with the rest of the world. If you want to do a deal in China, or with Chinese investors, he is your man.