Bill Gates Meets Xi Jinping In China, Builds Relations Amid Global Tensions

Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, is scheduled to meet Xi Jinping. (photo: Instagram @thisbillgates)

JAKARTA - Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft Corp, is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday 16 June during his visit to China. This meeting will be Xi's first meeting with a foreign private entrepreneur in recent years.

According to several sources familiar with this meeting may take place face-to-face. The third source confirmed that they would meet, but did not provide further details.

The sources did not reveal what they would discuss. Gates announced through his tweet on Wednesday, June 14 that he had arrived in Beijing for the first time since 2019 and that he would meet partners who had collaborated with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in addressing global health and development challenges.

The foundation and China's State Council Information Office, which handle media questions on behalf of the Chinese government, have not yet responded to requests for comment from Reuters.

Gates stepped down from Microsoft's board of directors in 2020 to focus on charity work related to global health, education, and climate change. He abandoned his full executive role in Microsoft in 2008.

The last reported meeting between Xi and Gates took place in 2015, when they met on the sidelines of the Boao forum in Hainan Province. In early 2020, Xi wrote a letter to Gates thanking him for his assistance, as well as a donation worth US$5 million (Rp74.5 billion) from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to assist China in fighting COVID-19.

This meeting will mark the end of Xi's long hiatus in recent years in meeting with private entrepreneurs and foreign business leaders, after the Chinese president did not travel overseas for nearly three years as China closed its borders during the pandemic.

Several foreign CEOs have visited China since reopening earlier this year, but most of them have only met with government ministers, including Elon Musk.

Prime Minister Li Qiang met with a group of foreign CEOs including Apple's Tim Cook in March, and a source told Reuters that Tesla's Elon Musk only met Deputy Prime Minister Ding Xuexiang last month.

However, the atmosphere of foreign business communities towards China has been cautious as tensions between the United States and China escalate Xi's focus on national security.

Gates' visit also comes ahead of a long-delayed visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China scheduled to take place between June 18-19, aiming to stabilize relations between the world's two largest economies and strategic rivals.

Blinken held a tense call with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Wednesday, June 14 in which Qin urged the United States to stop interfering in China's affairs and harm its security.

The meeting between Gates and Xi Jinping shows that the Chinese government is trying to build relations with foreign private entrepreneurs, especially in the context of rising tensions with the United States. Gates has a strong relationship with China and has invested in various projects in the country through a foundation he founded with his ex-wife, Melinda Gates.

However, the atmosphere among foreign business communities towards China has turned cautious in recent years. The tension between China and the United States has increased, especially in terms of trade, technology, and national security. Policies strengthened by Xi Jinping, such as "Domestic Markets" and strict data security policies, have raised concerns and challenges for foreign companies operating in China.

The meeting between Xi and Gates is expected to provide an opportunity for the two to discuss important issues, including cooperation in global health, education, and climate change. This meeting could also be the first step in enhancing cooperation between the Chinese government and the private sector in addressing global challenges.

While there is no official information regarding the outcome of this meeting, the meeting between Gates and Xi Jinping shows the importance of relations between China and foreign private entrepreneurs in the context of global cooperation and challenges faced by the international community.