China and the European Union have issued a joint call to action on climate change during a tense summit in Beijing.

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.

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.

The European Union and China committed to leading the world in the fight against climate change in a symbolic show of unity as the US steps back under President Donald Trump.

Adam Dunnett, secretary general of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, expressed hope that China and the EU would continue to deepen and expand their cooperation. He was attending the China-Europe CEO Roundtable held in Beijing 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.

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.

European multinationals have become more reliant on China in order to compete, a key business group said, as European Union and Chinese leaders hold a summit to address rising bilateral trade tensions.