The Chinese president called Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates an “old friend”, expressing the hope that they will jointly take actions that will be beneficial to both China and the US.

During Xi Jinping’s first meeting with a foreign businessman in years, held at Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, where Chinese leaders traditionally receive high-ranking foreign visitors, Xi told Gates he was very happy to see him after three years and called him the first American friend he has met this year.

“I often say that the foundations of China-US relations are with their peoples. I hope for the American people. With the current world situation, we can take various actions beneficial to the two countries and their peoples, actions that benefit humanity as a whole,” Xi said in a video released by state-run CCTV.

Gates, who arrived in Beijing on Wednesday, told Xi he was “honored” to have had the opportunity to meet with him.

“We’ve always had great conversations and we’re going to have a lot of important issues to discuss today. I was very disappointed that I couldn’t come for the last four years, so it’s very exciting to be here again,” Gates said.

Significant progress

With this trip, his first to China since 2019, the Microsoft co-founder follows in the footsteps of several other giants of the US economy, including the head of Tesla, Twitter and SpaceX, Elon Musk, who visited the country in May.

Virtually closed to the world for about three years due to Covid, China reopened six months ago.

“China has made significant progress in reducing poverty and improving health in the country. “I hope that China will be able to play an even more important role to address today’s challenges, especially those in African countries,” Gates said Thursday during a speech at the Global Health Drug Discovery Institute (GHDDI), which had founded in Beijing himself.

In addition to GHDDI, Gates renewed his cooperation with Beijing municipal authorities and officials of the prestigious Tsinghua University.

Yesterday, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced that it will donate 50 million dollars (45.7 million euros) to support Chinese efforts in the fight against malaria and tuberculosis.

It does not seek hegemony

The international business community has grown wary of China as tensions in Sino-US relations rise and Xi increasingly focuses on national security.

Gates’ visit comes ahead of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s long-delayed visit to China aimed at cementing ties between the world’s two largest economies and strategic rivals.

Blinken had a tense conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Wednesday in which Qin urged the United States to stop meddling in its affairs and harming its security.

During his meeting with Gates, Xi said China will not follow the old path of a “powerful country seeking hegemony” but will cooperate with other countries to achieve common development, according to the People’s Daily newspaper.

China often accuses the United States of seeking hegemony.