China Xi tells Bill Gates that he wants the friendship between the US and China to last. In the Chinese president's first meeting with a foreign entrepreneur in years, Xi Jinping referred to Bill Gates as "an old friend" and expressed the hope that they could collaborate He also said that Gates was the first American friend he had met this year. China's leaders have historically hosted senior foreign guests at this location.



I frequently assert that the people of China are the foundation of US-China relations. Xi was shown saying, "I place my hopes on the American people," in a CCTV video that was made public.


Gates told Xi on Wednesday that he was "honored" to have the opportunity to meet him in Beijing. We've always had great conversations, and today we'll be talking about a lot of important things. It is very exciting to be back because I was very disappointed that I was unable to attend the previous four years.


Since China reopened its borders following the pandemic, the majority of Xi's international meetings have been with other state leaders. Xi did not travel abroad for nearly three years. Reuters first reported the plans for his meeting with Gates.


Since China reopened early this year, a few CEOs have visited, but most have met with government ministers.


In 2020, Gates resigned from his position on the board of Microsoft to concentrate on charitable endeavors pertaining to global health, education, and climate change.


In 2015, Xi and Gates were said to have last met on the sidelines of the Boao forum in Hainan province. Xi wrote a letter to Gates at the beginning of 2020 in which she expressed her gratitude to him and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for promising assistance to China, including $5 million for the country's fight against Covivirus-19.


Not pursuing hegemony The foreign business community has become more wary of China than of the United States. Tensions rise, and Xi raises the nation's priority for national security.


Prior to Gates's visit, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make a long-delayed trip to China with the intention of stabilizing relations between the world's two largest economies and strategic rivals.


On Wednesday, Blinken had a heated conversation with China's foreign minister, Qin Gang. During the conversation, Qin urged the United States to stop interfering in China's affairs and jeopardizing its security.


According to the People's Daily newspaper, Xi stated that China would collaborate with other nations to achieve common development rather than following the traditional path of a "strong country seeking hegemony" during his meeting with Gates. The United States is frequently accused of pursuing hegemony by China.


During his visit, Gates not only met Xi but also gave a speech at the Global Health Drug Discovery Institute about how technology must be used to solve problems in global health.


In addition, the Beijing municipal government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which jointly established the institute with Tsinghua University, pledged $50 million to enhance the institute's capacity for drug discovery.