China is considering placing an order for hundreds of Airbus SE aircraft as soon as next month, when European leaders visit Beijing to celebrate the countries’ long-term ties, according to people familiar with the matter.

By Tim Hepher, Angela Christy M and Ananya Palyekar (Reuters) -Shares in Europe's AirbusPA> rose on Wednesday as evidence of talks to sell hundreds of planes to China gathered pace ahead of a summit of European and Chinese leaders in July.

American depositary receipts rose more than 3% on Wednesday as speculation intensified around a potential blockbuster aircraft order from China, possibly involving hundreds of jets. The renewed momentum in negotiations comes ahead of a planned summit between European and Chinese leaders in Beijing next month.

President Donald Trump said in a late-night social media post that Chinese leader Xi Jinping was very tough to make a deal with, raising questions about whether a fragile economic truce between the world’s two largest economies will hold.

"I like President Xi of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.