SINGAPORE/HONG KONG -- The leaders of America's most powerful tech companies have been parading through Beijing since early spring, following the end of COVID-19 controls and the gradual reopening of China. Even chilly U.S.-China tensions have not stood in the way of a resumption of pre-pandemic business dialogue.
In June, Bill Gates, the co-founder of U.S. tech giant Microsoft, was received in Beijing by Chinese President Xi Jinping -- an almost unheard-of protocol exception for a business leader. "You are the first American friend I've met with so far this year," China's president told the American billionaire, flashing a rare smile.
