There no doubt that Potashof Saskatchewan and its bankers have done quite a good job of creating the possibility of there being a bid to rival that of BHP Billiton and using that possibility to keep Potash’s stock well above the $130 bid from BHP.

But it remains far from clear whether that possibility will ever become a reality. Yes, there are plenty of reasons the Chinese may be interested, but that doesn’t mean they are going to actually mount a bid.