European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for an "essential" rebalancing of trade ties with China during a tense summit on Thursday with President Xi Jinping, saying ties stood at an "inflection point",

Mr Xi urged the EU officials at the summit to "adhere to open cooperation and properly handle differences and frictions" after Ms von der Leyen warned that the bloc’s ties with China were at an “inflection point” and called for a rebalancing of trade ties with the world's second largest economy.

An EU-China summit in Beijing wrapped up early on Thursday amid rising tensions, despite efforts to foster cooperation on trade, climate, and global stability.