Top EU leaders told their Chinese counterparts at a summit in Beijing on Thursday that Beijing must do more to level the huge trade surplus it has with Europe.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday called for the European Union's trade relationship with China to become more balanced. "For trade to remain mutual beneficial it must become more balanced," she said, speaking at a press conference at the 25th EU-China summit.

Expectations are rock-bottom for an EU-China summit on Thursday that will test European resolve and unity as the bloc faces intense trade pressure from both Beijing and the United States, analysts say.