Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, on Friday in Beijing, which market Gates’ first trip to China since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You are the first American friend I’ve met in Beijing this year,” President Xi told Gates. “As the world is emerging from covid, people should move around more, communicate more, and enhance their understanding of each other.”
The state leader also highlighted that China is willing to engage in “extensive technological innovation cooperation with countries around the world” and “actively participate in and promote the response to global challenges” such as climate change and public health.”
Gates’ visit came a week after the Financial Times reported that Beijing-based Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA) is moving some of its top AI talents from China to Vancouver to mitigate the impact of the increasingly strained relationship between China and the U.S.
The Biden Administration is mulling restrictions on investments from the US into Chinese cutting-edge technologies including AI, semiconductors, and quantum computing.
