Senior U.S. and Chinese negotiators meet in Stockholm on Monday to tackle longstanding economic disputes at the centre of the countries' trade war, aiming to extend a truce keeping sharply higher tariffs at bay.

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.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping urged the European Union to make “the right strategic choice” and enhance cooperation with China, while EU leaders called for a rebalancing of trade ties, as the two sides tackle deep-seated grievances at a tense summit in Beijing.

The European Union and China have agreed on a new mechanism to help solve possible issues regarding exports, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday, amid fears sparked by Chinese restrictions to rare earth exports.

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.

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.

A joint statement promised new efforts to cut emissions at a time when China is positioning itself as the world’s one-stop shop for clean energy technologies.

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.