In the midst of escalating tensions between the US and China, Bill Gates meets Xi Jinping.
The Founder of Microsoft Corporation – Bill Gates, met the President of China – Xi Jinping, today, i.e., Friday, June 16, 2023, as tensions remain high between the U.S. and China.
Gates is in China in his role as the Co-Chairman of the ‘Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’, a not-for-profit organization he started with his former wife. In 2020, Gates stepped down from Microsoft’s board to focus on the foundation, which focuses on global health, education and climate change. He had quit his full-time executive role at the technology giant 12 years earlier.
Xi told Gates he is the “first American friend” he met in Beijing this year. During his meeting with Gates, Xi said China would not follow the old path of a “strong country seeking hegemony” but would work with other countries to achieve common development.
Speaking on the occasion, Xi said, “I often say that the foundation of Sino-US relations is among the people, and we always look to the American people and hope that the two peoples will continue to be friendly”.
He further said, “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.”
Taking it to Twitter, the official Twitter handle of Gates Foundation tweeted,
While in China, @BillGates spoke on why he’s optimistic that science and innovation has the potential to address some of the world’s toughest challenges, like poverty, disease, and food security.
— Gates Foundation (@gatesfoundation) June 15, 2023
Read his full remarks: https://t.co/GVdKJ6xjc4 pic.twitter.com/uKgiPfnigF
During his visit, Gates also unveiled U.S. $ 50 million funding to support a joint disease and medicine research organization with China. In his speech at the Global Health Drug Discovery Institute (GHDDI) in Beijing, he said there is an urgent need to address global challenges, such as hunger crises, climate change, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the resurgence of infectious diseases.
This was Xi’s first meeting with a foreign business figure in recent years. He stopped travelling abroad in 2020 when China shut its borders during COVID-19. Xi and Gates last met in 2015 on the sidelines of the Boao Forum in Hainan Province. In early 2020, Xi wrote a letter to Gates thanking him and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for pledging assistance to China, including U.S. $ 5 million for the country’s fight against COVID-19.
Gates’ visit comes ahead of a long-delayed visit by U.S. Secretary of State – Antony Blinken to China aimed at stabilizing relations between the world’s two largest economies and strategic rivals.
Besides, the CEO of Tesla – Elon Musk, the CEO of JP Morgan – Jamie Dimon and the CEO of Apple – Tim Cook also visited China this year.
