European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says mechanism will help unblock bottlenecks in the critical minerals.

European leaders are meeting with top Chinese officials in Beijing to discuss trade, climate change and global conflicts.

Even as Chinese President Xi Jinping succeeded in shifting the China-EU Summit from Brussels to Beijing, he may not get his entire wish list fulfilled as two sides continue to have some fundamental divergences,

Brussels accuses China of unfair practices such as heavily subsidising products that are sold in Europe, and preventing EU firms from accessing the Chinese market.

As such, Brussels and Beijing need to take constructive measures before trade becomes hostage to spiraling tariffs. Talent exchanges could help resolve some of these issues, by diversifying supply chains, mitigating innovation risks, and fostering knowledge and goodwill among trade partners.