Von der Leyen and Costa will raise thorny issues such as the trade imbalance, rare earths and Ukraine during meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. The EU defines China as a "partner, competitor and systemic rival", which frames its strategic approach to China policy.

EU-China relations have reached an "inflection point", European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at a one-day summit in Beijing.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday called for the European Union's trade relationship with China to become more balanced. "For trade to remain mutual beneficial it must become more balanced," she said, speaking at a press conference at the 25th EU-China summit.