Half a century after the establishment of relations between China and the EU, and against a backdrop of deteriorating transatlantic relations, the European Union and China held their 25th summit in Beijing.

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.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to deepen ties with the European Union, the bloc's top official raised concerns over a growing trade imbalance, underscoring the strains beneath the diplomatic niceties. Chinese and EU leaders held a meeting Thursday as the 25th EU-China summit got underway.

China is a "critical partner" to Europe with a range of shared interests, state news agency Xinhua said in a commentary piece, downplaying Beijing's rivalry with the European Union bloc hours before a key summit between leaders of both sides on Thursday.

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.

The European Union has a China problem. The bloc, for financial and strategic reasons, wants to build strong economic ties with Beijing that bolster Brussels’ desire to be a serious player on ...

China’s high dependence on exports will likely be a key focus of a new round of U.S.-China trade talks this coming week in Stockholm, but a trade deal would not necessarily help Beijing to rebalance its economy.