Chinese President Xi said to tell Bill Gates AI tech from US welcome in China
Michael Loccisano
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) co-founder Bill Gates and the leader of the world's most populous nation reportedly told the tech luminary that artificial intelligence technology from U.S. firms is welcome in China.
The comments, first reported by Reuters, come on back of Gates visit with Jinping to discuss several matters, including Microsoft's (MSFT) business development in China.
President Xi, who has led China since 2012, referred to Gates as "an old friend" and said he was the first American friend he had met with in 2023, Reuters added separately.
"I often say the foundation of US-China relations lies with its people," Xi said, according to a video published by state broadcaster CCTV. "I place my hopes on the American people." 
"With the current global situation, we can carry out various activities beneficial to our two countries and people, activities that benefit humanity as a whole," Xi added, according to the news outlet.
Microsoft (MSFT) did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Seeking Alpha.
The Chinese President met with Gates at Beijing's Diaoyutai state guesthouse, where Jinping and other Chinese leaders have met with foreign guests.
Gates, who has met with Xi previously, made his first visit to the country since 2019, prior to the pandemic.
On Thursday, Microsoft (MSFT) approached a record high valuation of nearly $2.6T, boosted in large part due to its deal with OpenAI, the maker of popular AI chatbot ChatGPT.
Since the January announcement in which Microsoft invested "billions" into OpenAI, the Redmond, Washington-based tech giant has integrated ChatGPT technology into nearly all of its products, including search, web browsing and enterprise software.
Microsoft (MSFT) shares rose around 0.5% in pre-market trading on Friday.
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