HONG KONG Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the global rise of artificial intelligence (AI) with Bill Gates and said he welcomed U.S. firms including Microsoft to bring their AI tech to China, two sources familiar with the talks said.

Xi also discussed Microsoft's business development in China during their Friday meeting, said one of the sources.

Gates, who co-founded Microsoft, stepped down from Microsoft's board in 2020 to focus on philanthropic works related to global health, education and climate change.

China's State Council Information Office, which handles media queries on behalf of the Chinese government, Microsoft and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The comments on AI made at the meeting between Xi and Gates were not disclosed in reports of the meeting published by Chinese state media.

(Reporting by Hong Kong and Beijing Newsrooms; editing by Jason Neely)