(Alliance News) - China confirmed that top leaders from the EU will visit on Thursday for a summit, as the two major trading partners seek to smooth over a series of trade disputes.

"As agreed between China and the EU, President of the European Council Antonio Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will visit China on July 24," Beijing's foreign ministry said in a statement Monday.

"President Xi Jinping will meet with them. Premier of the State Council Li Qiang and the two EU leaders will jointly chair the 25th China-EU Summit," the ministry said.

The summit will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Beijing and Brussels.

But it comes after the two sides have criticised each other for what each sees as violations of the principle of fair trade.

The summit "is an opportunity to engage with China at the highest level and have frank, constructive discussions on issues that matter to both of us", Costa said in a statement on Friday.

"We want dialogue, real engagement and concrete progress. We aim for a fair, balanced relationship that delivers for both sides," he said.

Von der Leyen said this month that the EU would look to rebalance economic ties with Beijing by demanding it eases market access for European companies and loosens export controls on rare earths.

Beijing's foreign ministry responded by urging the bloc to "properly handle divergences and frictions" and "establish a more objective and rational understanding of China".

The war in Ukraine has been another bone of contention, with the EU taking the view that China has been tacitly supporting Russia's invasion – an allegation that Beijing denies.

Last week, Brussels announced a new package of sanctions aimed at hobbling Russia's oil revenues, banking sector and military capabilities, and which also included some Chinese firms and financial institutions.

Beijing's commerce ministry slammed the move on Monday, saying they "have had a serious negative impact on China-EU economic and trade relations".

China and the EU have also clashed over Beijing's state support for electric vehicles and wind turbines, and the use of Europeans' personal data by TikTok, whose parent firm is Chinese.

source: AFP

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