Meeting In Beijing, Xi Jinping And Bill Gates Discuss AI And Microsoft Business In China

Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft. (instagram @thisibillgates)

JAKARTA - Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the development of artificial intelligence globally with Bill Gates on Friday, June 16. Jinping welcomes US companies including Microsoft to bring their artificial intelligence technology to China, according to two sources familiar with the talks.

"Xi Jinping also discussed Microsoft's business development in China, during their meeting in Beijing," said one of the sources.

Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, stepped down from the company board in 2020 to focus on charity work related to global health, education, and climate change.

Comments on artificial intelligence created at a meeting between Xi and Gates were not disclosed in reports of a meeting published by Chinese state media or in a post by Gates last Friday reflecting his trip to China.

When asked for comment, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation directed Reuters to the post.

China's State Council Information Office, which handles media questions on behalf of the Chinese government, and Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Xi has previously said that China needs to take advantage of opportunities to use artificial intelligence to drive economic development, but has also warned about its risks, with the country considering new laws on this technology as well as rules for generative artificial intelligence.

Xi's meeting with Gates comes as US-China relations are at their lowest point in decades, with artificial intelligence becoming one of the tense points.

The United States has imposed a series of export controls aimed at limiting the development of Chinese artificial intelligence, while China has disrupted the foreign business world by overseeing consulting companies and banning the sale of several products by the United States chip company, Micron.

Microsoft is an OpenAI supporter, whose chatbot ChatGPT sparked the excitement of artificial intelligence globally last year and has spread to China.

OpenAI and ChatGPT itself are not blocked by Chinese authorities, but OpenAI does not allow users in several countries, including mainland China and Hong Kong, to register.

Microsoft has been operating in China for more than 30 years and has a large research center there. Its Bing portal is the only foreign search engine accessible from within China's "Great Firewall", although search results on sensitive topics are censored.

The US technology company has faced problems in China in recent years as the country tightens its control over the internet sector. In 2021, Microsoft closed China's LinkedIn and replaced it with a more limited version that only focuses on work.

In May, Microsoft announced that it will also close the app in China, citing fierce competition and macroeconomic challenges, but they will still maintain their presence in the country.