Last week, Microsoft Corp. MSFT co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates lamented the growing divide between the U.S. and China, saying it's blocking access to critical climate and technology innovations.
What Happened: In a wide-ranging interview during an Express Adda event, Gates praised China's leadership in renewable energy, artificial intelligence, and battery technology, while expressing concern that geopolitical tensions are hindering global collaboration on major challenges like climate change.
"China has been absolutely a pioneer," Gates said, noting its dominance in solar panel manufacturing, battery innovation, and AI research. "It's a real shame for the world that the U.S.-China tension means that the willingness to access those goods is quite limited."
Gates underscored the scale of China's contributions, calling the country "out in front" on critical green technologies and saying its research institutions have achieved "deep" scientific capabilities.
He pointed to electric vehicles as an area where American tariffs are impeding progress, noting, "There just won't be many Chinese EVs sold in the United States" due to high import barriers.
Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.
Why It's Important: Gates' comments come as the U.S. and China remain locked in strategic and economic competition, particularly around semiconductors, clean energy, and AI.
Earlier this week, the U.S. added over 50 Chinese entities to an export restriction list, aiming to curb China’s advancements in AI and semiconductor technology. This move is part of a broader strategy to limit China’s access to cutting-edge technology from companies like NVIDIA Corp. NVDA and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. AMD.
Meanwhile, China has been actively courting multinational companies, including Apple Inc. AAPL and Eli Lilly and Co. LLY, to improve its business environment amidst these pressures.
China is reportedly considering export restrictions in response to U.S. economic actions.
Additionally, talks are ongoing about a possible “birthday summit” between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in June.
Check out more of Benzinga’s Consumer Tech coverage by following this link.
Read Next:
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.