Beijing ? Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates said today that two-thirds of the people invited to a meeting about charity with dozens of China’s super rich and billionaire investor Warren Buffett actually showed up — after earlier concerns that the country’s new millionaires would be pressured to give up their fortunes.

American investor Warren Buffett, right, and Microsoft Corporation founder Bill Gates receive a gift from Tibetan girls Wednesday during an event by Chinese automaker BYD in Beijing.

Buffett, who has called Wednesday’s private dinner “a tremendous success,” told a press conference this morning that the habit in China of giving money to charity is still in formation.

“Great wealth is much newer in China, reasonably widespread wealth is a much newer phenomenon, and the habits of philanthropy are probably being formed here, whereas they are probably settled in more in Europe,” he said.

Gates told reporters that he and Buffett, who are on a drive to encourage the super-wealthy about philanthropy, “may do an event in India” next year. But he added it would be a discussion and not a request to make donations.

Some reports in China had said some invitees to the private dinner in Beijing were reluctant to attend because they did not want to be pressured.

Because of that concern, Gates and Buffett, who have campaigned to persuade American billionaires to give most of their fortunes to charity, issued a letter earlier this month saying they wouldn’t be pushing anyone to give up their fortunes but wanted to promote philanthropy.

“Our hopes for this meeting were to learn about giving in China, and share our own views,” Buffett said in a news release from him and Gates late Wednesday. “We had a terrific exchange of views, and learned a great deal about the good work that is already under way.”

The private dinner, in a mansion on the edge of Beijing modeled after the baroque 17th century Chateau de Maisons-Laffitte in France, drew 50 business and philanthropy leaders for a 90-minute discussion, the news release said.