Microsoft founder Bill Gates praised China’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have started in Wuhan, China, in 2019 after potentially leaking from a lab.

Gates’s message to the Chinese was to have a Happy Lunar New Year. “Just as the tiger symbolizes vitality and health, our Foundation has continued work over this past year.”

Bill Gates wishes China a Happy Lunar New Year, and praises their response to the China virus pandemic that they obviously started. pic.twitter.com/MstKX89Nvt

— Suburban Black Man 🇺🇸 (@goodblackdude) January 24, 2022

“The recent troubling and highly contagious Omicron variant means the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over. Since the onset of the pandemic, China has worked hard to not only contain the virus, but also contributed to closing the equity gap by supporting other countries with many different supplies, including great vaccines,” said Gates, who added that he was “hopeful” that by the end of the year that the COVID pandemic would be “over.”

Gates also congratulated China on WHO’s recognition that the country defeated malaria, saying that he was “thrilled” to hear that they were Malaria-free.

“So, like many of you, I believe the world can become better. I know innovation and collaboration are key to getting there. I look forward to once again being able to travel to China, to see all of you and this work, in person. But for now, have a wonderful holiday and a very healthy and happy new year,” he concluded.

Gates had previously praised China for its conduct during the start of the COVID pandemic, saying that the government’s track record of hiding information and putting out false information was not useful. Beijing “did a lot of things right at the beginning,” he said, calling criticisms a “distraction.”

Freedom of Information Act requests by Judicial Watch has also found that the Gates Foundation “helped the Chinese Communist government in various ways,” including by working with the Chinese government to grease the skids to enable the sale of Chinese-produced medications, and helped “raise China’s voice of governance by placing representatives from China on important international counsels as high-level commitment from China.”