Bill Gates to meet Xi Jinping in China.
Bill Gates to Meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to China, according to sources. This will mark Xi’s first meeting with a foreign private entrepreneur in recent years, and the encounter may be a one-on-one meeting. The sources did not disclose what the two might discuss.
Gates’ Philanthropic Works
Gates tweeted on Wednesday that he had landed in Beijing for the first time since 2019 and that he would meet with partners who had been working on global health and development challenges with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates stepped down from Microsoft’s board in 2020 to focus on philanthropic works related to global health, education, and climate change. He quit his full-time executive role at Microsoft in 2008.
Long Hiatus by Xi
The meeting would mark the end of a long hiatus by Xi in recent years from meeting foreign private entrepreneurs and business leaders, after the Chinese president stopped traveling abroad for nearly three years as China shut its borders during the pandemic. Several foreign CEOs have visited China since it reopened early this year but most have mainly met with government ministers.
Caution from Foreign Business Community
The mood of the foreign business community towards China, however, has turned cautious as Sino-U.S. tensions intensify and Xi increases the country’s focus on national security.
Visit Ahead of Blinken’s Visit
Gates’ visit also comes ahead of a long-delayed visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China set to take place between June 18-19 which is aimed at stabilizing relations between the world’s two largest economies and strategic rivals. Blinken had a tense call with China’s foreign minister Qin Gang on Wednesday, during which Qin urged the United States to stop meddling in its affairs and harming its security.
Conclusion
Despite the cautious mood, Gates’ meeting with Xi is a positive sign for the future of business relations between China and the rest of the world. It remains to be seen what the two will discuss, but Gates’ philanthropic works and global influence make this meeting an important one to watch.
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