Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Bill Gates on Friday, in his first meeting with a foreign business leader this year.
Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, was told by Xi that “you are the first American friend I’ve met in Beijing this year.” The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provides financial and technical support to China, particularly in health and agriculture.
It was the first visit by Gates to China in four years.
The warm visit is in contrast to frosty relations by the two governments, ahead of a visit to the country by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that is due for Sunday. A planned visit in February by Blinken was called off in the wake of Chinese spy balloons being sent to the U.S.
It’s not clear if Blinken will meet Xi on his visit.
The Hang Seng
HSI,
rose 1.1% on Friday, continuing to rise after China’s central bank cut rates this week. Analysts at Morgan Stanley say they expect a growth rebound in the country in anticipation of further easing measures, including a relaxation of property purchase restrictions in major cities and targeted consumption subsidies.
This story originally appeared on Marketwatch
