European Council President Donald Tusk and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attend signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China.
The European Union will open an annual meeting with China on Monday, and will be looking to fend off overtures for an anti-U.S. alliance as China seeks a European counterbalance to U.S. tariffs.
Premier Li Keqiang will host European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Beijing, where the two sides could reinvigorate long-running investment treaty talks with the expected exchange of markets access offers for the first time.
The meeting is expected to produce a modest communique affirming the commitment of both sides to the multilateral trading system. Leaders failed to find sufficient consensus for such a joint statement after meetings in 2016 and 2017.
The Turkish Embassy in Washington on Sunday held a ceremony to mark 2016 defeated coup, orchestrated by Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).The event started with a minute of silence observed in the honor of the victims of July 15 defeated coup, followed by singing of the Turkish national anthem.In his opening speech, Turkey's Ambassador to the U.S. Serdar Kılıç said Turkish democracy, constitutional order and its democratically elected leader came under "an unprecedented attack by a heinous group [FETO]" on the night of coup attempt."But on that night, they did not take into account the Turkish people who displayed a glorious resistance against the terrorist coup plotters by taking to the streets," he added.Mosques across Turkey say prayers in memory of July 15He said Turkey is a "dedicated and determined" country in its fight against FETO and other terrorist organizations."And we expect the necessary steadfast solidarity and support from our allies and partners in this fight," he added.The event was attended by Azerbaijan Ambassador to the U.S. Elin Suleymanov Eminoglu, U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Elisabeth I. Millard, former Commander of the Turkish Land Forces General Salih Zeki Colak, heads of different NGOs, embassy staffers and Turkish-Americans.Erdoğan says nation has closed the chapter of coups, never to be reopened againOn July 15, 2016 FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated a defeated coup in Turkey which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.Since the coup attempt, Turkey has sought Gulen's extradition from the U.S., and complained that the U.S. is not moving fast enough.Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.FETÖ has a considerable presence outside Turkey, including private educational institutions that serve as a revenue stream for the terrorist group, including in the U.S.
Turkey's 2nd anniversary of coup attempt marked in US
This year's talks come with the United States and China increasingly mired in a trade dispute with no sign of negotiations on the horizon.
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned he may ultimately impose tariffs on more than $500 billion worth of Chinese goods - nearly the total amount of U.S. imports from China last year.
China has sworn to retaliate at each step.
European envoys say they have sensed a greater urgency from China since last year to find like-minded countries willing to stand up against Trump's "America First" policies.
Indonesian villagers armed with knives, hammers and clubs slaughtered 292 crocodiles in revenge for the death of a man killed by a crocodile at a breeding farm, an official said.Photographs released by Antara news agency showed bloodied carcasses of the crocodiles in a large pile in the Sorong district of the eastern Indonesian province of West Papua.The head of Indonesia's Natural Resources Conservation Agency in West Papua said that the 48-year-old victim had entered the crocodile farm and was likely picking grass for animal feed when he was attacked."An employee heard someone screaming for help, he quickly went there and saw a crocodile attacking someone," Basar Manullang said in a statement.After the burial of the man on Saturday, villagers entered the farm and killed all the crocodiles, said Manullang.Video: Indonesian villagers kill nearly 300 crocodiles in revenge attackManullang said the farm had been given a licence to breed protected saltwater and New Guinea crocodiles in 2013 for preservation and also to harvest some of the animals.But one of the conditions was that the reptiles did not disturb the community, he said."To prevent this from happening again, farming licence holders need to secure surrounding areas," said Manullang.He said his agency was coordinating with police in their investigation."Crocodiles are god's creatures that need to be protected too," Manullang said. ($1 = 14,380.0000 rupiah)
Indonesian villagers kill nearly 300 crocodiles in revenge attack
China's ambassador to the European Union, Zhang Ming, said in a commentary in the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily newspaper on Sunday that the focus of the meeting would be how China-EU relations could become a "standard of stability" amid the "din of unilateralism and protectionism".
China and Europe are "two major forces of stability and responsibility" that support inclusive globalisation, Zhang said.
But the world's largest trading bloc, while sharing Trump's concern over Chinese trade abuses if not his prescription of tariffs, has largely rebuffed efforts by China to pressure it into a strong stance against Trump.
European Council President Donald Tusk said on Monday China, the United States and Russia had a duty not to start trade wars and called on the three countries to reform the World Trade Organization.He said there was still time to prevent conflict and chaos. Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker are in Beijing to meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang for an annual China-EU leaders dialogue. 
EU's Tusk calls on China, US, Russia not to start trade wars
There is deep scepticism in the EU about China's actual commitment to opening its market further, as well as concern that it seeks to divide the bloc with its economic influence in Eastern Europe.
Nonetheless, European officials suggest that Trump, who has also targeted Europe with tariffs, has created a widow of opportunity to show that EU-China relations can be a bulwark for global trade.
China and the EU are also expected to set up a working group on reforming the World Trade Organization during the talks.
European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said on Friday that discussions with China would focus on "trade and investment, on the commitment to combating climate change and investing in clean energy and on foreign and security issues, including the situation on the Korean peninsula".
Schinas said the two sides' leaders would also talk about their joint commitment to preserving the Iran nuclear deal.