EU leaders hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang

Top European Union officials are holding talks Monday with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang at a time of rising tensions between two major trading partners over the fallout from the coronavirus crisis and Beijing’s increasing control over Hong Kong.

European Council President Charles Michel, EU commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the bloc's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, are holding two video conferences separately, firstly with the premier and later with Xi.

The meetings are not expected to produce concrete results - no joint statement will be issued - but the Europeans hope it will give a boost to slow-moving talks on an investment agreement and build some common ground for tackling thorny political issues at a face to face meeting, hopefully late in the year.

The EU sees China as a "systemic rival" offering great opportunities but also presenting many challenges, and the coronavirus pandemic has created new obstacles, notably what Brussels sees as a China-orchestrated campaign of disinformation about the disease that could put lives at risk.

The meetings come at a time when China stands accused of trying to influence European officials and Borrell has twice denied in recent months that the External Action Service - a kind of EU foreign office that he leads - has bowed to Beijing's pressure to alter documents.

While the 27-nation EU - China's biggest trading partner - is often divided in its approach to Beijing, the new security law for Hong Kong has galvanized the bloc.

Member countries insist it will undermine the territory's autonomy guaranteed in the "one-country, two-systems" framework.

Monday's meetings were originally meant to be a summit on March 30, but the coronavirus pushed it off the agenda, along with another high-level event that was due to take place in September in the German city of Leipzig.

The Europeans have decided to hold a news conference later Monday, but no Chinese officials are scheduled to take part.