Chinese President Xi Jinping has recently replied to a letter from the families of the survivors of the "Lisbon Maru."

In the letter, Xi encouraged them to continue to actively commit to the China-Britain friendship and looked forward to more British friends making contributions to bilateral relations.

In October 1942, "Lisbon Maru," a cargo vessel, requisitioned by the Japanese army to carry more than 1,800 British prisoners of war (POWs) from Hong Kong to Japan, was hit by the U.S. army off the Zhoushan Islands, China's Zhejiang province.

A total of 843 POWs died, while 384 were rescued by local fishermen. The British officers and soldiers and the British government were deeply grateful for their help.