The European Union and China celebrated 50 years of bilateral diplomatic relations at a high-profile summit in Beijing on Thursday. But many contentious issues dampened the festive mood.

Chinese President Xi Jinping criticised Brussels's recent trade actions against Beijing at a tense summit dominated by concerns on trade and the Ukraine war.

Leaders at a summit in Beijing split over Ukraine and many trade issues. They came together with small steps on climate change and critical minerals.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China and the EU must deepen trust in a turbulent world but the bloc's chiefs called for "real solutions" to move past an inflection point as they met in Beijing on Thursday.

China Summit held in Beijing on July 24, 2025, the European Union raised strong concerns regarding the worsening human rights situation in Tibet, marking yet another clear signal that Tibet remains a key point of contention in EU-China relations,

As the two biggest economic targets in Donald Trump’s trade war, some analysts thought the European Union and China could move closer together and stake out common ground.

At the 25th EU-China Summit, the EU raised strong concerns over human rights abuses in Tibet, including religious repression and political interference in the Dalai Lama’s succession. The CTA welcomed the EU’s stance and urged concrete action to hold China accountable.

A war that bloodies but does not beat Russia is China’s obvious favorite choice. A weak Russia implicated in an unwinnable war would be chastised but still exist as Beijing’s vassal and have no alternative to kowtowing to its Chinese overlord. That kind of Russia suits China perfectly.

E.U. leaders are in Beijing to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations with China, but they have major disagreements over trade and Russia’s war against Ukraine.

"China has an influence on Russia, like the European Union has an influence on Ukraine," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.