48 Group Club

The 48 Group Club (originally, the 48 Group of British Traders with China) is a London-based nonprofit organisation dedicated to promoting trade between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the United Kingdom. The group is named after a British trade delegation of 48 businessmen, referred to as the "Icebreakers," who traveled to China in 1954 to establish trading relations between the two countries.[1][2][3] The organisation's motto, "Equality and Mutual Benefit," is derived from a quote by Zhou Enlai, the first Premier of the People's Republic of China.[1] Critics have contended that the organisation has functioned as a platform for the Chinese government to influence British elites.[4][5][6][7]

The 48 Group Club
MottoEquality and Mutual Benefit
Formation1954 (1954)
FounderJack Perry
Typenonprofit organisation
Registration no.09417061
Location
  • London, United Kingdom
Chairman
Stephen Lawrence Andrew Perry
Websitewww.the48groupclub.com
Formerly called
48 Group of British Traders with China

Fellows of the 48 Group Club have included Tony Blair, Jack Straw, Alex Salmond, Peter Mandelson, Ken Livingstone, and other politicians, retired diplomats, and prominent business executives.[1][8][9] The 48 Group Club's chairman, Stephen Perry, has been a proponent of the Belt and Road Initiative.[2][10][11] In February 2020, Perry commented positively on the PRC's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and stated that the Chinese government showed "incredible sensitivity to the needs of the people."[12]

Criticism

In Hidden Hand: Exposing How The Chinese Communist Party Is Reshaping The World, authors Clive Hamilton and Mareike Ohlberg stated:[5]

In short, at the instigation of a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo, Zhou Enlai, the 48 Group was the work of three secret members of the Communist Party of Great Britain. From this foundation the club quickly developed an unrivalled level of trust and intimacy with the top leadership of the CCP, and has built itself into the most powerful instrument of Beijing's influence and intelligence gathering in the United Kingdom. Reaching into the highest ranks of Britain's political, business, media and university elites, the club plays a decisive role in shaping British attitudes to China.

Libel lawsuit

In June 2020, the 48 Group Club and its chairman Stephen Perry launched a libel lawsuit in an attempt to block the publication of the book in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[13][14][15]

See also

References
  1. "About The Club". The 48 Group Club. Archived from the original on 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
  2. "Three generations of Perry's family devote their lives to promoting China-Britain economic, trade ties". Xinhua News Agency. 23 April 2019. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  3. "Stephen Perry: I am proud to receive the China Reform Friendship Medal". People's Daily. 20 December 2018. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  4. Hutton, Will (2020-08-11). "Hidden Hand review – China's true global ambitions exposed". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
  5. Hamilton, Clive; Ohlberg, Mareike (2020-09-03). Hidden Hand: Exposing How the Chinese Communist Party is Reshaping the World. Simon and Schuster. pp. 60–67. ISBN 978-1-78607-784-4. OCLC 1150166864.
  6. Ellery, Ben; Fisher, Lucy (4 July 2020). "Photograph links Tony Blair to pro-China 48 Group Club". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 2020-09-09. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
  7. "48 Group Club: why China is 'grooming' Britain's business and political elite". The Week. 30 June 2020. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  8. Ellery, Ben (8 July 2020). "Now George Osborne is linked to pro-China 48 Group Club". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  9. Ellery, Ben; Fisher, Lucy (2 July 2020). "Pro-China 48 Group Club made Jack Straw a fellow". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 2020-09-04. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  10. "Interview: China-Britain ties should move with time: chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club". Xinhua News Agency. 6 February 2018. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  11. Liu, Cecily (13 September 2018). "'Icebreaker' who warmed Sino-British trading links". China Daily. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  12. "Interview: China shows remarkable coordination, selflessness in fighting novel coronavirus: British business leader". Xinhua News Agency. 28 February 2020. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  13. Fife, Robert; Chase, Steven (19 June 2020). "Legal challenge halts Canadian, U.S. and U.K. release of book critical of Chinese Communist Party". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  14. Nuttall, Jeremy (18 June 2020). "Legal troubles threaten to derail Canadian launch of book about Beijing's influence operations". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  15. Quinn, Jimmy (2020-06-23). "The Strange Attempt to Stop a New Book on China's Global Influence". National Review. Archived from the original on 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
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