Bill Gates meets with President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Image Credits: Bloomberg / Contributor / Getty Images

Earlier this month, the country welcomed another American tech billionaire when Elon Musk visited China.

Bill Gates will meet with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday, Chinese state media reported.

The purpose of the meeting has not been made public, but official media reports may follow. A reporter from China’s British government tabloid Global Times tweeted what appeared to be quotes from the meeting, giving us an early sense of the mood of the discussion.

“You are the first American friend I have met in Beijing this year,” President Xi told Gates on Friday. “As the world emerges from Covid, people need to move more, communicate more and understand each other better.”

President Xi told Gates that China is willing to “engage in broad technological innovation cooperation with countries around the world” and “proactively participate in and respond to global challenges on climate change and public health,” according to the reporter.

This is a developing story…