Xi: “New problems” for relationship with EU

China’s President Xi Jinping has referred to differences between Brussels and Beijing in a telephone conversation with EU Council President Charles Michel. Xi stressed in the discussion that the international situation has changed since this year and that China-Europe relations face „new problems,“ state media reported. „China and Europe differ in their history, culture, social systems, and stages of development,“ Xi said. It is not surprising that there is „competition and differences“. Xi advocated dialogue and negotiations to resolve them. There is an interest in closer ties between the two sides. This includes climate, digitalization, and connectivity. However, China’s sovereignty is not negotiable.