Bill Gates appears in Shanghai and responds to the Epstein case, and from the scene, he is no longer well-received!
In early spring 2026, Bill Gates quietly appeared in China. He first visited an agricultural experimental field in Hainan in a low-key manner, then moved to a closed-door technology seminar in Zhangjiang, Shanghai. Notably, multiple media outlets used the term "unexpected appearance" to describe his participation in the event, indicating the low-key nature of this trip. More notably: the entire visit did not arrange any public speeches, high-level reception or symbolic photos, which contrasts sharply with the treatment he received in China over the past decade.
Looking back at Gates' previous visits to China, whether in 2010 or 2015, he was always warmly welcomed as a "global philanthropist + tech pioneer." Localities vied to invite him, universities vied to grant him honors, and the public had become accustomed to viewing him as a representative of "benevolent capital." But this time, there was no red carpet, no speech, and even the press release was extremely restrained.
During this visit to China, he rarely accepted an interview on his own initiative, clearly distancing himself from Epstein: "I have never been to that island, I have never contacted any victims, and my association with him was itself a mistake." At the event site in Zhangjiang, Shanghai, the organizers did not arrange any welcome ceremony, and the participating researchers mostly approached it with a "business coordination" attitude, with almost no sign of the excitement around the "Gates effect" that used to be present.
After the Epstein incident was exposed, although Gates' trip continued to advance substantive projects, from the perspective of reception standards, public attention, and the depth of cooperation, "not well-received" has become a structural reality — not targeting him personally, but rather the erasure of the "super individual" aura by the times.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1856881059734617/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.