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.

By Laurie Chen, Liz Lee and Xiuhao Chen BEIJING (Reuters) -EU-China trade ties have hit a "clear inflection point," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday in Beijing, capping a tense summit with top Chinese leaders dominated by concerns on commerce and the Ukraine war.

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.