After a long-haul flight without the flat-bed usually enjoyed by dignitaries, a whistle-stop tour of the city and a ten-course lunch with the Mayor of Beijing, Boris Johnson could have been excused for a slow start in his preliminary event of the Games yesterday.

The Mayor of London had made a pointed decision to travel economy class after slashing the cost of a trip booked by his predecessor, Ken Livingstone. Although his aides tried unsuccessfully to arrange an upgrade behind his back, he claimed to have “travelled very comfortably”.

He declared that he was fit for his moment of reckoning on Sunday night, when he will receive the Olympic flag from Guo Jinlong, his Beijing counterpart. “My major purpose is to watch as many events as I can and then enter myself for the solo flag waving for which I have been in heavy training,” he said. “It will be a hugely proud moment for me and there is a big political incentive for me not to drop it.”

British people are used to Mr Johnson’s tendency for gaffes but in China they know little about the foppish ex-Etonian except that he once presented Did I Tell You News? And the name of the BBC quiz show was not the only thing lost in translation as the mayor rattled through a repertoire of sweeping statements, self-deprecating jokes and put-downs of reporters daring to ask supplementary questions.

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“Haven’t we squeezed this lemon dry yet?” he asked after a few superficial exchanges with the world’s media, crammed into a tiny room in London House.

It was all a bit perplexing for a Chinese journalist who wanted to know whether London had any plans to replicate Beijing’s themes of being the green, high-tech and people’s Games.

“That’s a good idea. I’ll look into it,” Mr Johnson replied, to guffaws from his team in the front row.

It became even more baffling for the locals when he objected to a request to identify succinctly the main benefit to London in hosting the Games. “Why succinctly, what if I want to take a bit of a run-up?” he replied.

In between all the flippancy, there are serious questions about how London can learn from Beijing. This is why Mr Johnson spent hours digesting a huge meal of lobster, osso bucco and steamed grouper with Mr Guo and Liu Qi, chairman of the Beijing organising committee.

The issues range from security and mass transit systems to venue management and sporting legacy. Transport is still a big concern for London which, unlike Beijing, will not be able to order half the cars off the road every day.

Empty seats are another concern if London tickets prove to be too expensive or fall into the hands of disinterested sponsors. Mr Johnson would like discounted or free tickets for children and London taxpayers.

The Beijing Games, with its unprecedented resources, will be a tough act to follow. “In the UK we have been impressed by Beijing but we are not intimidated,” Mr Johnson said. “In our own sweet way we can do just as well without wasting taxpayers’ money. The amazing success of these Games has blown away the Olympo-sceptics.”

As the mayor accepts the Olympic flag on Sunday, protocol forbids him from speaking – which Beijing officials will perhaps welcome after his not-unexpected faux pas when asked about the Games’ opening ceremony. “Had it been me, I don’t think I would have done the switcheroo with the girl with the braces,” he said. “Oh, have I blown it at the last furlong?”

Not yet – the finish line is still three days away.