Xi meets European Council president, European Commission president in Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Beijing on Thursday.

Following the meeting, the Chinese president said that Beijing and Brussels must make the "right strategic choice," stressing that the two sides can find "common ground" despite their differences, but that they must strengthen "mutual trust."

For her part, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed during a meeting with the Chinese leader that "the volume of trade between the European Union and China exceeds two billion euros per day."

Von der Leyen added: "Today, Europe and China are two of the three largest economic and trading powers in the world. Our shared relationship is among the most important and significant. In terms of total trade, the European Union is China's largest trading partner, while China is our third. Our trade volume now exceeds two billion euros per day."

At the same time, the Commission President acknowledged the existence of an "imbalance" in trade between Europe and China and called for making it "more stable and mutually beneficial."

"It is very important for China and Europe that Beijing acknowledges our concerns and offers real solutions," von der Leyen continued.

In turn, European Council President Antonio Costa said, "The European Union wants to cooperate with China in addressing global challenges."

Antonio Costa called on the Chinese side to make tangible progress on trade and economic issues. Ursula von der Leyen said that relations between the European Union and China have reached a "critical turning point."

In recent years, EU relations with China have been marred by so-called "trade wars": Brussels and Beijing accuse each other of violating the principles of transparent and competitive trade, imposing reciprocal tariffs on imported goods, and both sides have filed complaints with the World Trade Organization.

But against the backdrop of deteriorating relations between the European Union and the United States after Donald Trump's arrival in the White House, Brussels has begun talking about the need to improve relations with Beijing.

On the eve of the EU-China summit, which marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Beijing imposed final tariffs on brandy imports from the EU.

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