China as partner? Tackling climate and energy challenges

An explosive geopolitical landscape centered around Sino-American hyper-competition has turned the net-zero transition into a nationalist competition for normative, economic, technological, and military preeminence. Moreover, climate leadership has been dragged into the US-China bipolar rivalry and easily sacrificed on the altar of hyper-competition. The leadership vacuum is further exacerbated by the lack of a joint transatlantic strategy on climate. This chapter argues that to maintain global collaborative momentum, Europe must step up and take on the role of convenor, facilitator, and mediator for the US and China to remain together or, in turn, at the negotiating table. It offers an overview of US-China joint climate leadership; addresses the significant gaps in substantive transatlantic collaboration on climate; and provides ways in which the EU’s regulatory, normative, economic, convening power, and support of multilateralism can engage China as a partner in tackling climate and energy challenges while also ensuring the transatlantic alliance remains a key driver and standard bearer for climate leadership.