At the summit's conclusion, von der Leyen reiterated that the way in which China "continues to interact with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's war will be a determining factor [in their EU] relations going forward," showing that the EU and China both walked away from the table with disagreements — ones they put aside to fight climate change.

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.

Every Friday, we recap highlights of the news from China. This week, an important summit was held in Beijing, India took another step towards normalising ties with China, and the Medog dam project saw a development.

Yet analysts say the Chinese leader is likely holding out for concrete deliverables before agreeing to the high-profile meeting. Trump dramatically escalated the trade war with the world's second-largest economy in April, rolling out sweeping new tariffs that prompted China to respond with its own export duties and other measures.