Xi Jinping Meets Bill Gates in China, Calls Him 'an Old Friend'

TEMPO.CO, Beijing - Chinese President Xi Jinping called Bill Gates "an old friend" and said he hoped they could cooperate in a way that would benefit both China and the United States, in Xi's first meeting with a foreign entrepreneur in years.

In a meeting at Beijing's Diaoyutai state guest house, where China's leaders have traditionally received senior foreign visitors, Xi said he was very happy to see the Microsoft (MSFT.O) co-founder and philanthropist after three years, and that Gates was the first American friend he had met this year.

"I often say the foundation of U.S.-China relations lies with its people. I place my hopes on the American people," a video published by state broadcaster CCTV showed Xi saying.

"With the current global situation, we can carry out various activities beneficial to our two countries and people, activities that benefit humanity as a whole," he said.

Gates, who arrived in Beijing on Wednesday, June 15, said he was "honored" to have the chance to meet. "We've always had great conversations and we'll have a lot of important topics to discuss today ... it's very exciting to be back."

In a post on his blog, Gates said he and Xi had discussed global health and development challenges such as health inequity and climate change.

Xi stopped traveling abroad for nearly three years as China shut its borders during the coronavirus pandemic and his international meetings since the reopening have mostly been with other state leaders.

A number of CEOs have visited China since it reopened early this year, but most have met with government ministers.

Gates stepped down from Microsoft's board in 2020 to focus on philanthropy in the fields of global health, education, and climate change.

The last reported meeting between Xi and Gates was in 2015 when they met on the sidelines of the Boao Forum in Hainan province. In early 2020, Xi wrote to Gates thanking him and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for pledging assistance to China, including $5 million for its fight against COVID-19.

Xi also discussed the global rise of artificial intelligence (AI) with Bill Gates and said he welcomed U.S. firms including Microsoft bringing their AI tech to China, two sources familiar with the talks said.

One of the sources said they also discussed Microsoft's business development in China.

REUTERS

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