BackAfter Bill Gates and Elon Musk, US official Anthony Blinken's trip to China joins roster of recent high-profile visits
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Beijing for talks, becoming the first high-ranking American diplomat to visit China in five years. Recently, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon and Starbucks' Laxman Narasimhan have also visited China and met with President Xi Jinping.
PremiumUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who became the first high-ranking American diplomat to visit China in the past five years, commenced his meetings in Beijing on Sunday. However, the bilateral ties between the two nations remain strained, and the prospects for significant progress on the extensive array of disputes between the world's two largest economies appear bleak.
Many top personalities have recently visited China and met with Xi Jinping. A few days before Anthony Blinken’s visit, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon and Starbucks' Laxman Narasimhan had landed in the country.
Bill Gates
Recently, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates had visited the country and met Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Chinese president called Bill Gates an “old friend" and said he was “happy" to see him. Xi Jinping also said that he believes the “foundation of the China-US relationship lies in the people".
“Under the current world situation, we can carry out various activities that benefit our two countries, the people of our countries, and the entire human race," Xi Jinping said.
After the meeting, Bill Gates said he was “very honoured" to meet with Xi.
Bill Gates made his most recent visit to China in 2019 where he held a meeting with First Lady Peng Liyuan to discuss the initiatives and endeavors of the Gates Foundation in the realm of HIV/AIDS prevention.
Elon Musk
Billionaire Elon Musk visited China in the first week of June. The CEO of Tesla also met in person the country's foreign, commerce and industry ministers and has dined with Zeng Yuqun, chairman of top battery supplier CATL. He also met Chinese Vice President Ding Xuexiang.
It was Elon Musk’s first visit in three years amid the escalating competition from domestically manufactured electric vehicles.
He also visited the Tesla factory in Shanghai where he addressed his staff, and praised them for "overcoming so many difficulties and challenges". He also made a heart sign with his hands.
Tim Cook
Apple CEO Tim Cook visited Beijing in China in March 2023 to attend the China Development Forum, a government-organized event after the country ended all the Covid-induced restrictions. Tim Cook’s visit to China was also regarded as one of the most significant visits amid the US-China tensions.
At an event, Tim Cook said, “Innovation is developing rapidly in China and I believe it will further accelerate." Tim Cook also visited an Apple Store in Beijing on Friday, pictures of which went viral on Chinese social media.
In his address, Cook delved into the topic of education, emphasizing the importance of programming and critical thinking skills for the youth. He further announced Apple's intention to augment its investment in the rural education program to reach a substantial sum of 100 million yuan.
(With Reuters inputs)
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