Relations between China and the EU are “at a crossroads” and the two sides could “drift apart” because of Beijing’s support for Russia over Ukraine and “discriminatory” trade rules, one of Brussels’ most senior officials has warned.Valdis Dombrovskis told an audience in Beijing that China must change its ways or lose investment and trade from the EU in his starkest assessment yet of the tensions between them.

The executive vice-president of the European Commission, responsible for trade and economics, made a pitch to future Chinese leaders at the elite Tsinghua university to prioritise openness, after new laws have made it harder for international businesses to operate there.

“We stand at a crossroads. We can choose a path towards mutually beneficial relations. One which is based on open, fair trade and investment, and working hand in hand on the great challenges of our time,” Dombrovskis said.