Gates-Hu meeting is short but noteworthy

Gates-Hu meeting is short but noteworthy: "'Because you, Mr. Bill Gates, are a friend of China, I'm a friend of Microsoft,' Hu said, according to an Associated Press pool report from their meeting. 'Also, I am dealing with the operating system produced by Microsoft every day,' he added, to laughter from those around him.
Hu told Gates that he would welcome further investment and cooperation from Microsoft in China. He also gave assurances that the country would fulfill its promises to protect intellectual property rights -- a key issue for the company in China, where its Windows operating system is widely pirated."

This a very significant milestone.