China’s foreign ministry said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa will travel to Beijing on 24 July for the 25th China-EU Summit. Chinese President Xi Jinping is slated to meet the two EU leaders, while Premier Li Qiang will co-chair the meeting, which marks 50 years of diplomatic relations between the bloc and China. The summit takes place against a backdrop of rising commercial frictions. Bilateral ties soured in 2021 after mutual sanctions over human-rights concerns, and more recent disputes have centred on Chinese electric-vehicle exports, European brandy and pork, public procurement of medical devices and access to rare-earth minerals. Both sides are looking to ease tensions and shore up economic cooperation as global trade uncertainty grows.