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.

The European Union and China are preparing a landmark joint statement on climate cooperation, a move that could help galvanize momentum ahead of the COP30 summit in Brazil later this year.

President Donald Trump put the odds of striking a trade deal with Europe to reduce the tariff rate on their imports at 50-50, even as diplomats from the trading bloc have expressed optimism in recent days that an agreement could be near.

US President Trump stated a “50/50 chance” of securing a trade agreement with the EU to lower import tariffs, with an August 1 deadline looming. While the EU approved a $109 billion retaliatory package,