Henry Keswick, the Jardines scion who razed then restored China business

Shanghai-born executive who initially criticized Hong Kong handover dies at 86

20241107 Zhu Rongji meets with Chairman of Jardine Matheson Holding Limited Henry Keswick

A historic handshake with Chinese Vice Premier Zhu Rongji in Beijing in the runup to the Hong Kong handover in May 1997 was a “seismic moment" for Jardine Matheson and its Chairman Henry Keswick, according to a memoir by his late wife Tessa Keswick.   © Xinhua/AP

KENJI KAWASE, Nikkei Asia chief business news correspondent

HONG KONG -- As the world awaited the results of the U.S. presidential election this week, Henry Keswick, the fourth-generation scion of Asian-rooted British conglomerate Jardine Matheson, died Tuesday at 86.

Just as Donald Trump's often fraught relationship with China has been in the spotlight since he secured his return to the White House, Keswick's reign at the retail-to-real estate group was marked by twists and turns with the country.

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