Xi tells Gates China willing to engage in tech cooperation

PRESIDENT Xi Jinping said China is willing to work with the world on technology innovation and global challenges, including pandemic prevention during a meeting with American billionaire Bill Gates.

“You are the first American friend I’ve met in Beijing this year,” Xi told the Microsoft Corp. co-founder on Friday, according to state broadcaster China Central Television.

“I’ve always said that the foundation of China-US ties lies among the people,” the Chinese leader added. “We always pin our hopes on American people and hope the two peoples can continue to be friendly.”

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi and Foreign Secretary Qin Gang attended the meeting. Xi’s sit down with Gates raises expectations for the Chinese leader to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who is set to visit Beijing on a two-day trip from Sunday. That rescheduled visit aims to reset ties between the world’s largest economies, after a spat over an alleged Chinese spy balloon derailed high-level exchanges earlier this year.

Earlier, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Beijing city government agreed to donate $50 million each to fight infec - tious diseases such as malaria. The money will go to the Global Health Drug Discovery Institute, according to a statement from the Gates Foundation. The institute is a nonprofit established in 2016 by the Gates Foundation, the Beijing municipal government and Tsinghua University. Bloomberg News