Since he was re-elected in 2002 with an overwhelming majority against far-right leader Le Pen, Mr Chirac has rarely been so unpopular. A recent poll shows that 61 per cent of the French don't trust him, one of the highest numbers since he became president in 1995.

On the face of it, many would say that is not surprising. In a 40-year political career, Mr Chirac has piled up sleaze scandals, broken promises and, his critics would say, has astoundingly little to show for his 10 years at the Elysee Palace.

Over the past year, his government has suffered crushing defeats in European and regional elections. Unemployment in France remains stubbornly high and the French are deeply unhappy about social security reforms and pension cuts.

The man himself, protected by presidential immunity, is accused of a string of criminal offences including money laundering to fund his political party, the RPR, and a vote-rigging scam while he was mayor of Paris.

And yet, in many ways, the French premier's political career is impressive.

A graduate of France's school for the political elite, the Ecole nationale d'administration, Jacques Chirac is driven by relentless ambition.

In 1967, prime minister Georges Pompidou saw great potential in this young fellow Gaullist, and made him a junior minister. Seven years on, Mr Chirac was nominated prime minister by Valery Giscard-d'Estaing.

But his unstoppable ambition got the better of him. Feeling restricted in his ministerial role, he resigned two years later to form his own political party.

The following year he became mayor of Paris, a powerful position which he held for 18 years until he was elected president in 1995. In between times, Jacques Chirac did a very short stint as a European deputy, and was prime minister for a second time under former president Francois Mitterrand.

An imposing career indeed, for which Pompidou nicknamed him 'the bulldozer'. But a soubriquet others prefer is la girouette, the weathervane. For one of Mr Chirac's most notable political characteristics is his shameless ability to change political course.

A Eurosceptic in the 1970s, Mr Chirac has become one of Europe's driving forces, leading his country into a single currency in 2002. Today, he is a supporter of the European constitution.

While Mr Chirac is pushing for an environmental charter to be included in the French constitution, he had no qualms setting off nuclear tests in the Pacific only weeks into his first term as president in 1995.

The theme of his presidential campaign that year was to bridge France's 'social fracture'. Yet only months into his first mandate, he cut budgets in the public sector, prompting massive strikes.

But far from putting off his electorate, some say these inconsistencies have drawn the French closer to him over the years. According to French weekly L'Express, these changes have reassured the French, who see in them a promise of caution and pragmatism.

Reassurance sums up France's 40-year affair with Mr Chirac. Regardless of his dubious ethics and flip-flop politics, Jacques Chirac the man is a popular figure. His warm contact, Gallic charm and handsome figure go down well with the public. As Mr Chirac said himself, 'to do well in politics, you have to have attractive features'.

His penchant for pretty women, alleged taste for salacious jokes and hearty appetite for good French food all contribute to his image as a man of the people.

But today, as his government scores multiple defeats at home, Mr Chirac is most popular on the international stage.

While he is seen by some world leaders as a bit of a bully who is prone to outbursts at summit meetings, his recent stand against the United States-led war in Iraq endowed him with immense credibility at home and in other countries opposed to the war.

Mr Chirac's personal interest in North African countries (he fought in Algeria) and his occasional stands against US foreign policy have boosted his reputation in Arab countries. He received a hero's welcome on a visit to Algeria last year -no small feat in a country which has not yet healed the wounds of its bloody war with France.

The latest, albeit unfruitful, show of support from Arab countries over the French hostage crisis in Iraq was a strong mark of respect which many other world leaders must envy.

Mr Chirac is an outstanding diplomat. On his visit to China to promote economic links with the region, he will smile a lot and give many eager handshakes. With the diplomatic pomp and ceremony which the French are so good at, he will no doubt help secure lucrative contracts.

For this, the president and the French will be pleased. But only for a little while, until Mr Chirac gets home.