Bill Gates, in First Visit to China Since 2019, Meets With Xi

In a rare encounter with an American business figure, Xi Jinping, China's leader, met Friday with Bill Gates as officials from Washington were set to arrive in Beijing in an effort to restart bilateral discussions. Mr. Xi told Mr. Gates that he was "the first American friend I met in Beijing this year," according to People's Daily, the Communist Party newspaper. Mr. Xi also said he wanted to build stronger ties with Mr. Gates's philanthropic organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to help with aid to developing countries. The Gates Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for…