European leaders are meeting with top Chinese officials in Beijing to discuss trade, climate change and global conflicts.

For the third time in as many months, US and Chinese officials will meet in Europe for trade talks — and this time, Beijing is arriving at the negotiating table more emboldened than ever.

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.

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.

From just $2.4 billion in trade in 1975 to nearly $785 billion in 2024, China-EU economic relations have become one of the most vibrant engines of global growth. However, the ties have been disrupted by trade disputes. The issues of disagreement include tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and China's export control on rare earth elements.

Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg’s daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union. We’re keen to hear your views on this newsletter. Please participate in our short survey.

EU bosses Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa are in Beijing on Thursday for talks with top Chinese leaders over areas of friction from trade to the Ukraine war -- with low hopes of a breakthrough on any front.