Morgan said an increasing number of Chinese investors were approaching the company to express an interest in British hospitality and leisure opportunities, as well as in taking classic British themes to China.

Shaun Rein, managing director of the China Market Research Group, said the latest deal showed that Chinese tourists were looking for authentic British places to visit, including the pub that Xi had visited. He said Chinese visitors were shifting away from shopping as their focus and that museums and palaces, along with pubs, were now becoming major tourist destinations.

The Plough purchase is not SinoFortone's first investment in the United Kingdom. In October last year, it announced it would invest 2 billion pounds ($2.55 billion) in two eco-parks in Wales.

"This pub purchase is consistent with that focus," said Jeffrey Towson, a professor who teaches investment at Peking University.

wangmingjie@mail.chinadailyuk.com