RFE/RL | An EU-China Summit In Beijing

During a discussion at the November 23 Friends of Europe Forum in Brussels, veteran Chinese diplomat Ma Keqing dismissed the notion that China and the EU were rivals, and seemed to blame the United States for any tensions between Brussels and Beijing.

“Actually, we were different, many, many years ago, and who have been different for the whole process of our relations. And now, suddenly we have become systemic rivals … so I would like to say that we should have more dialogue and more mutual trust.,” Ma said.