The European Union had announced plans for a summit in January, before US President Donald Trump took office and unleashed swingeing tariffs.

"We are coordinating with China to set a date for the meeting, which is expected to take place in China in the second half of July," said the official at the council, the body representing the EU's 27 countries.

The bloc faces a delicate balancing act, seeking to negotiate with an unpredictable ally in Washington to avoid tariffs and the need to diversify trading partners, with its bid to hold the line on its own trade concerns regarding China.

Earlier on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the EU to join hands with Beijing in resisting "unilateral bullying", referring to sweeping tariffs imposed by Trump.

The heads of the EU's two main institutions -- the Council and the European Commission -- have held regular summits with China's leadership but did not meet in 2024.