As the UK prepares to carve a new role for itself on the world stage post Brexit, I am reminded of an ancient Chinese proverb: the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

As Lord Mayor of the City of London, and a principal ambassador for the UK’s financial and professional services industry, this week and next I am on a nine-day visit to China to do exactly this, sowing the seeds of economic co-operation for the future, while building on the decades of dialogue and engagement between our two countries.

Leading a senior delegation made up of some of the brightest and best the City of London has to offer, my trip takes me to several cities on the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, meeting old friends, and making some new ones in the process.

With our departure from the EU just over a year away, first and foremost I will be delivering the message that London remains truly open for business, and that the City’s position as an international financial centre will continue well into the future.

I will also be hammering home the point that the UK’s financial sector remains a beacon of creative energy and fiscal excellence, contributing nearly 11pc of total tax receipts and employing over 2.2m people, with two thirds of these jobs being outside London. It’s no surprise therefore that we are well placed to help Chinese firms realise their international ambitions, and build the relationships and support they need to retain and expand their European operations.