China's president Xi Jinping labeled Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates an"old friend" when they met in Beijing this week.filmed the interaction between the pair, in which they touched on topics such as global poverty reduction, public health, and drug development, per its report.
It was the first time Xi and Gates had met in more than three years, and it was his first trip to China's capital since before the pandemic struck, according to"You're the first American friend I've met in Beijing this year," Xi said to Gates — who was known for having a potential global pandemic — in an apparent nod to renewed travel abilities after pandemic restrictions were lifted, according to CCTV.they would donate $50 million apiece to battling infectious diseases in low and middle-income countries.
China was hit hard by the pandemic and imposed long and oppressive lockdowns as part of its"zero-COVID" policy.