Family fosters UK-China ties for 3 generations

Jack Perry Jr speaks at a leadership workshop for Chinese entrepreneurs in Cambridge, the United Kingdom, in October. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY 'Historic event' "We felt we had participated in a historic event from which we could all draw immense satisfaction," wrote Jack Perry Sr in his memoir. In his congratulatory letter, Xi pointed out that 70 years ago, British entrepreneurs represented by Jack Perry Sr, keenly seeing the bright future of the People's Republic of China and the huge potential of China-UK cooperation, broke the ice of ideology with courage, and took the lead in opening up the channel for China-UK trade exchanges. Xi commended the generations of "icebreakers", who have witnessed and actively participated in China's development and reform over the past seven decades and achieved their own development and growth through mutually beneficial cooperation. Jack Perry Sr's decision to continue engaging with China after the first trade deal hugely influenced his son Stephen, who was only five during the 1953 icebreaking trip.