ABSTRACT

Though China and the European Union (EU) do not share close geographic proximity, they are not strangers to one another. They have shared a long and mixed history of interaction through trade and empire. The US's looming shadow significantly impacted the relationship between the two powers. The bonds that Europe and the US share have been among the strongest in the international arena, having become particularly important after the Second World War. The partnership that Europe and China had claimed to be building was from the outset heavily focused on trade. They had seen each other as providing lucrative markets in which their goods could find an outlet. There is one key area of global importance that provides China and Europe a tangible goal for a transformative strategic partnership. A full-blown partnership for the Anthropocene with climate action at its core gives the world its best chance for confronting the coming crisis.