European Union (EU) leaders are preparing to hold “tough talks” with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which are to take place during an EU-China summit in Beijing amid trade tensions and the conflict in Ukraine, the Financial Times (FT) reports.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the EU was concerned about Chinese industrial overcapacity, trade imbalances and “economic coercive practices,” citing its dominance in critical raw materials, chemicals, and consumer drones.

“Trade and security are interlinked,” she said.

A senior EU official, referring to the possible outcomes of the aforesaid summit, said that it was an achievement that the sides were talking.

“A good exchange...at the highest level in China is a good deliverable,” the official said.

FT recalled that the EU has opened more than 25 trade defense investigations over the past year into Chinese products including candles, sweetcorn and car and truck tires, about fourfold the tally from the year before.

Wang Dong, professor and executive director of Peking University’s Institute for Global Cooperation and Understanding, suggested that the sides could make headway on three fronts: ensuring stable supply chains, reforming the World Trade Organization, and climate change.