China's President Xi Jinping looks on during a joint statement with Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro after a bilateral meeting during the BRICS summit in Brasilia, Brazil November 13, 2019. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

BRASILIA (Reuters) - China’s President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that protectionism, unilateralism and differences of governance systems are causes for concern.

Speaking at the annual summit of the BRICS leading emerging economies, Xi said economic globalization is encountering setbacks. “We must stand up to protectionism and uphold the WTO multilateral system,” he said.