Interest in distinctive beers has prompted the opening of China's first brew pubs, such as Boxing Cat Brewery and Jackie's Beer Nest in Shanghai, and Great Leap Brewing and Slow Boat Brewery in Beijing. These bars sell a number of British ales - Belhaven Stout, Abbot Ale, Old Speckled Hen and Greene King IPA are all on the taps at Jackie's Beer Nest. They have also pioneered a wave of Chinese craft beers influenced by British traditional brews. Boxing Cat's Southpaw Winter Warmer openly describes itself as an English-inspired malty brown ale, for example.

Bedfordshire's Charles Wells Brewery is another producer creating greater ties with China. “China is a complex market and importation can be quite bureaucratic when compared to other European markets,” says international sales director Tim Sprake. “However, we intend to add further resources over the next 3 years including a new trade mission in the spring of 2016 to cement the next phase.”

Cornwall's St Austell brewery has also leapt on the boat to China. “We actually have a small order on the seas to Shanghai right now,” says export manager Mike Morris. “This first order is more of a trial to see which beers will be received well. The big development overseas generally has been towards the more hoppy IPA styles of beer and we’re well placed with our Proper Job brand. Or we may see our more easy drinking session beer Tribute work well.”

He sees China as a market for slow steady expansion, rather than the sort of out-of-the-blue spikes prompted by Xi Jinping's pint of Greene King IPA. “We expect over time consumers will experiment more, and there will be a wider acceptance of British beers. So while at the moment we wouldn’t expect big orders, it’s important to be there - because undoubtedly it should develop into a significant export market,” Morris explains.

British beers may also benefit as Chinese workers become more interested in tracking down quality drinks that will help them impress important clients. A report in The Lancet earlier this year found “drinking with clients and colleague is seen as vital to career advancement” in China today – and even cited job ads listing ‘good drinking capacity’ as an asset for candidates.

Such cultural shifts play into the hands of British beer exporters. Leading British beer expert Melissa Cole once described British beers as not only “category-defining and iconic” but also “the most sessionable beers in the world.” So perhaps the great British drinking session will be among our most novel 21st century exports to China.