ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the historical evolution of the triangular relationship between China, the EU and the US in the context of multilateral climate negotiations in the United Nations context. Different combinations of bilateral relations in the overarching trilateral relationship have produced varying outcomes when it comes to the global climate order. The most favourable – but rarely realized – scenario, a ‘ménage à trois’, involves three sets of positive bilateral relations. Where this scenario allowed for the successful negotiation of the 2015 Paris Agreement, its durability has been called into question by the election of Donald Trump as US President. This chapter concludes by arguing that China and the EU are in a position to provide co-leadership in order to sustain the Paris Agreement global climate architecture.
