Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on The 48 Group Club
Tony Blair met Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Downing Street on 13 September 2006. In the ensuing press conference, the Premier paid tribute to the work of The 48 Group Club:
“Next year indeed we are going to mark the 35th Anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the two countries at the Ambassadorial level. However, if you take into consideration the diplomatic ties at the Charge d'Affaires level then this relationship is already 50 years' old. Over the past half century there have been twists and turns, ups and downs in our bilateral relations. However, practices and facts have proved that cooperation between China and the UK are beneficial to our two countries and our two peoples.
Yesterday at the dinner, and also today in my discussion with Prime Minister Tony Blair I recalled the great contribution to China-UK relations made by The 48 Group Club in 1954. This group embarked on the road towards China, overcame all kinds of obstacles and broke through the embargoes by the Western world of China to develop trade relations with my country. This was the first group of businessmen coming from the Western world to China.