President Xi Jinping meets Bill Gates, calls him ‘friend’, says always placed hope in American People

Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday in Beijing, according to the state-run Global Times.

“You’re the first American friend I have met in Beijing this year,” Xi told Gates. “I often say that the foundation of China-US relations lies in people-to-people ties. We have always placed our hopes on the American people, and hope that peoples of our two countries will maintain their friendship,” President Xi Jinping said to the philanthropist as reported by Global Times.

Xi praised Gates and his foundation for their long-term dedication to promoting global poverty reduction, health, and development as well as public welfare and charitable work, according to a report in the Chinese news outlet.

The Global Times reported that President Xi Jinping also informed Gates that China is ready to cooperate with him and his foundation to continue enhancing bilateral ties in pertinent areas and to support and assist other developing nations.

For the first time since 2019, according to Gates, he is travelling to China. Gates is the most well-known business tycoon to have visited the nation recently, according to Fox Business. The co-founder of Microsoft tweeted on Wednesday “I’ve just landed in Beijing for the first time since 2019, where I’m excited to visit with partners who have been working on global health and development challenges with @gatesfoundation for more than 15 years.”

A letter thanking Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was written by Xi Jinping in 2020

In 2020, Xi Jinping wrote a letter to Gates and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation thanking them for their pledge of approximately USD 5 million to the country in its fight against COVID, according to Fox Business. The billionaire philanthropist and Chinese President Xi Jinping had last met in 2015.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced on Thursday that it will give China’s efforts to fight disease USD 50 million over the following five years.

According to a press release from the foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced a renewed partnership with the Beijing Municipal Government and Tsinghua University to aid the Global Health Drug Discovery Institute (GHDDI) “in its efforts to improve health outcomes worldwide through lifesaving therapies for infectious diseases like tuberculosis and malaria, which disproportionately affect the world’s poorest.”

Fox Business reports that in the meantime, China has recently rolled out the red carpet for US CEOs. Gates appears to be abroad and has stepped down as CEO of Microsoft in order to concentrate on the work of the international nonprofit that he and his ex-wife founded.

Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, and Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, made other prominent trips to China this year. Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, is anticipated in China soon.

Musk checked in on Tesla’s operations during his three-day trip to China, and he also met with the country’s foreign minister. Earlier this month, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon travelled to Asia to meet with staff members in China and neighbouring Taiwan, according to Fox Business.