European Union leaders are planning to travel to Beijing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in late July, according to five people familiar with the arrangement.

No date has been confirmed with the Chinese side, but EU leaders’ willingness to make the trip indicates a serious effort to re-engage with Beijing at a time when the bloc’s relationship with the United States has effectively collapsed.

Von der Leyen spoke with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday, at the request of China’s No 2 official, while trade chief Maros Sefcovic spoke to Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Wednesday.

On a video call, Wang and Sefcovic agreed to “immediately start negotiations on electric vehicle price commitments, as well as discuss China-EU automotive industry investment cooperation”, according to a commerce ministry read-out.

With both sides under severe economic pressure from the US, Brussels has put the brakes on a spiralling relationship with China, which sank to new lows in recent years over Beijing’s ties with Moscow and a list of economic grievances.

This year, von der Leyen – seen as among Europe’s most prominent hawks – has adopted a softer tone when speaking of China.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrived on Thursday for his third trip in two years, while French President Emmanuel Macron plans to visit in the second half of this year, according to several official sources.

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