Ever since he was allowed to return to work on a Beijing building site after the Olympics, Zhou Shouheng has been nervous. He is still employed but some of his fellow migrant workers from the villages of Henan have been less fortunate, and he worries that China's sudden economic slowdown may soon claim his job, too.

The Government is just as anxious. The State Council, or Cabinet, unveiled an enormous package of spending yesterday, allocating four trillion yuan (£375 billion) to 2010 to stimulate the fastest-growing leading economy in the world, amid signs of a dramatic slowdown in the past few weeks.

It is no coincidence that the public spending was announced just days before President Hu Jintao is due to fly to Washington to take part in the G20 summit of government leaders.

He is certain to come under pressure to play a larger role in finding ways to soften the impact of the worsening financial storm. Mr Hu will now be equipped to …