Sources with knowledge of the matter told CNBC that the European Union wants to put pressure on China to be neutral over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
There is concern among western officials that China might play a role in the war between Russia and Ukraine. The Chinese authorities abstained from a UN Security Council vote condemning Moscow for its invasion of its neighbor.
The Kremlin and Beijing have both denied that Russia has asked for military and economic support from China.
European Council President CharlesMichel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will speak with China's Prime Minister Li Keqiang at 10 a.m. At 2 p.m., there will be a meeting with the Chinese President.
An EU official who did not want to be named said that the goal of the summit was to ensure the neutrality of China so they don't help Russia.
The EU-China economic links and recent trade disputes might be brought up during the conversations, but the focus is definitely on Russia.
A second EU official told CNBC that the summit is a defining moment for EU-China relations.
A third EU official, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that the summit was supposed to announce small initiatives.
Eva-Maria Liimets, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Estonia, told CNBC that the West should discuss sanctions against Beijing if China aided Russia in the invasion of Ukraine.
Different heads of state in the EU urged China to use its influence to stop the war in Ukraine.
Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi told CNBC last week that China is the most important country in the peace process.
Italy's Foreign Affairs Minister Luigi Di Maio told CNBC that they have solicited all their international partners and even those who do not agree to achieve peace and a diplomatic solution. Turkey and many other countries can contribute to this effort.
Di Maio said that it was important to participate in the effort so that we could show Putin that a diplomatic solution was a better option.
The relationship between the EU and China has been rocky.
The investment deal was signed just before Biden arrived at the White House. The EU decided to freeze the agreement due to concerns over human rights abuses in China.
The European Commission opened a case against China at the World Trade Organization because of their trade practices against Lithuania.
Friday's summit was supposed to be a chance to put a year of EU-China tensions in the past. Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's refusal to condemn Moscow's attack have made European expectations of a reset less likely, analysts at the firm said in a note Tuesday.
They said that European disappointment with China over Ukraine and the strongest transatlantic unity in more than two decades will underpin closer EU-US cooperation against Beijing going forward.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has improved the relationship between the two countries. After their differences over the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in the summer of 2021 and a controversial submarine deal between the U.S. and Australia, there seems to be more cooperation between Washington and Brussels.
The U.S. is trying to support the EU to become more independent from Russian energy.
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