China-EU Summit: Xi Jinping to meet EU's Ursula von der Leyen, Antonio Costa on Thursday

China confirmed that top leaders from the European Union will visit on Thursday for a summit, as the two major trading partners seek to smooth over a series of trade disputes.

"As agreed between China and the EU, President of the European Council Antonio Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will visit China on July 24," Beijing's foreign ministry said in a statement Monday.

"President Xi Jinping will meet with them. Premier of the State Council Li Qiang and the two EU leaders will jointly chair the 25th China-EU Summit," the ministry said.