EU and Chinese leaders meet to discuss trade

Chinese and European Union leaders launched a high-level dialogue today on tensions over China’s swelling trade surplus with Europe and amid disagreements over how to tackle climate change.

“Our meeting today marks a significant step towards the strengthening of the strategic partnership between China and Europe,” European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso told Premier Wen Jiabao as they met in the Great Hall of the People, the seat of China’s legislature.