Janka Oertel (European Council on Foreign Relations)

Since 2019, when the European Union adopted a three-sided approach to China defining the country simultaneously as a partner, competitor and systemic rival the public debate has often identified global crises such as climate policy and the containment of the coronavirus pandemic as areas of cooperation. In her lecture, Dr Janka Oertel argues that the broad notion of “partnership” no longer reflects the true complexity of the EU’s interactions with China in tackling global warming. To successfully manage this new reality, the EU and its member states will have to clearly define benchmarks and red lines for credible climate action, to set the framework for cooperation. At the same time, they will need to invest in future competitiveness, especially in the green technology needed to compete for markets, standards, and influence in a low-carbon world. After all, climate action is not just about a global public good but turns into a central angle of global economic competition.