Bill Gates Arrives in Beijing, Advocates Global Cooperation

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates announced his arrival in Beijing on Twitter on June 14 at 21:48, marking his first visit to China since 2019. In posts on both Twitter and Weibo, Gates celebrated his 15-year partnership with Chinese organizations through the Gates Foundation to address global health and development challenges.

Expressing his happiness to meet his Chinese partners, Gates pointed out that while there have been substantial advancements in reducing child mortality and poverty, these progressions are being hindered by global crises. He cited high food prices, heavy debt, and increasing rates of diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria, as particularly affecting African nations, his next destination after China.

To combat issues such as climate change, health inequity, and food security, Gates called for innovative solutions, highlighting China’s extensive experience in areas ranging from the development of new anti-malarial drugs to investments in climate adaptive solutions. “We need to help more people around the world achieve this kind of progress,” he wrote.

Gates stressed the importance of international cooperation in managing crises during his speech at the Zhongguancun Forum on May 26. He emphasized China’s impressive expertise and commitment to technological innovation, stating that the country could make unique contributions to the world by sharing its technological achievements and success stories. He also recognized China’s vital role in addressing complex global challenges like pandemics and global food security. Currently, the Gates Foundation is working with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences to improve the rice seed industry system in African countries based on China’s agricultural innovation experience.

Despite the world’s urgent needs, such as the food crisis, Gates expressed his confidence that through innovation, these needs could be effectively met. He recognized the many partners, including China, who are working hard with their professional skills and experience. “The question now is not ‘can we,’ but ‘do we want to’?” he questioned, implying the need to mobilize human intelligence, professional knowledge, and experience to confront challenges and help billions of people escape poverty and live healthier, more productive lives.

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The Gates Foundation, established in 2000 and headquartered in Seattle, launched its first project in China in 2008. Over the past decade, the foundation has expanded its cooperation with China, with projects covering poverty alleviation, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS prevention, tobacco control, support for African agricultural development, and malaria elimination. During his last visit to China in November 2019, Gates attended the 10th anniversary of the cooperation between the Chinese National Health Commission and the Gates Foundation on tuberculosis prevention. At that time, he highly praised China’s tremendous achievements in the field of health poverty alleviation and its significant contribution to promoting international cooperation and sustainable world development.