EU tells China 'differences' must be addressed; Italy pulls out BRI pact

China and the EU have ramped up diplomatic engagement this year in an attempt to repair damaged ties EU President Ursula von der Leyen told Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday that the bloc and its biggest trading partner must address their differences, in the first in-person EU-China summit in over four years. Underlining Beijing's challenges in getting Europe onside, news broke on the eve of the summit that Italy — the bloc's third-largest economy — had withdrawn from its vast Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.Source:thehindu.com