Chinese companies are ditching the renminbi and flocking to the euro to raise new offshore debt, as the imminent launch of quantitative easing in the single currency bloc sends ripples through global markets.

So far this year, mainland-based companies have sold $2.9bn worth of euro-denominated debt, according to Dealogic, compared with nothing in the first quarter of last year and close to the $3.3bn raised in the whole of 2014.

Meanwhile, Chinese borrowers have shunned offshore renminbi debt, known better as “dim sum” bonds. The total raised in the market this year is only $250m, a dramatic drop from the $6.6bn issued during the first three months of last year. US dollar borrowing has been steadily high, with $16.3bn of bonds sold this year.