Icebreaking Mission

The 48 were the precursors of The 48 Group Club. The trip became known as the Icebreaking Mission, and club members were nicknamed Icebreakers.

Perry recalled his family's experience with China and said the founding of the CPC was a response to the challenges the Chinese people faced in trying to give the country "some reasonable prosperity and safety".

"The Party knew their job was to deliver a better life for the people of China. Moving hundreds of millions off the land and building an export economy were the first step."

China has achieved all it needs to become a moderately prosperous society, Perry said, meaning it has a stronger economy, a new democracy that is being constructed, more advanced science and education, a better environment and a thriving culture, a better quality of life and greater social harmony.

"These are the basis for the innovation which will take China to become an advanced socialist economy and society that is well laid out in a modern Chinese form by President Xi Jinping."

Poverty alleviation has always been a primary concern for President Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, who has said "no single poor area or individual shall be left behind."

"The relationship of President Xi with poverty goes back to when he was just a young man," Perry said. "Xi lived in poverty in Shaanxi and for many people that experience would break them.

"But for Chinese, with a wonderful depth of civilization and ability to withstand dramatically difficult conditions, Xi found the basis for who he is today, in my opinion."