By Laurie Chen, Liz Lee and Xiuhao Chen BEIJING (Reuters) -EU-China trade ties have hit a "clear inflection point," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday in Beijing, capping a tense summit with top Chinese leaders dominated by concerns on commerce and the Ukraine war.

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

The European Union and China celebrated 50 years of bilateral diplomatic relations at a high-profile summit in Beijing on Thursday. But many contentious issues dampened the festive mood.