Distinguished Policy Fellow
Europe-China relations, US-China relations, clean technology competition, geopolitics of emerging technology and supply chains
German, English, French (conversational), Chinese (fair)
Janka Oertel is a distinguished policy fellow with the European Power programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations. She leads the DARE* project, a three-year initiative focused on European competitiveness and clean technology transition.
Until late 2025, Oertel rebuilt and led the Asia programme at ECFR for almost six years. Under her leadership, the ECFR Asia programme became the go-to place for analysis and convening on EU-China relations, and for outreach to the Indo-Pacific in Europe.
Before joining ECFR, Oertel was a senior fellow in the Asia programme at the German Marshall Fund of the United States’ Berlin office, where she focused on transatlantic China policy including on emerging technologies, Chinese foreign policy, and security in east Asia. Prior to joining the GMF, she served as a programme director at Körber Foundation’s Berlin office. She was also a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP Berlin) and worked at United Nations Headquarters, New York, as a Carlo-Schmid fellow. She has published widely on topics related to EU-China relations, US-China relations, Chinese foreign policy, 5G and emerging technologies, clean tech competition and climate cooperation.
She has testified before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the German Bundestag, and is frequently quoted in leading media outlets such as the Financial Times, the New York Times, The Economist, Süddeutsche Zeitung, El Confidencial, Berlingske, and many more. Her book “Ende der China-Illusion. Wie wir mit Pekings Machtanspruch umgehen müssen” was published in August 2023 with Piper in Germany.
Oertel holds a PhD from the University of Jena (Germany). Her dissertation focused on Chinese policies within the United Nations.
Beijing is turning its rare earth monopoly into a weapon. The EU needs to treat this as the emergency that it is and unleash its anti-coercion shield to bring China to the negotiating table
China is scooping up supply chain information as part of its trade restrictions. Europe lags behind in economic intelligence, but there is a way to start closing this gap with a low-cost, low-bureaucracy, high-impact step
China’s export restrictions are bringing European factories to the verge of shutting down. Yielding to Chinese pressure today will only invite more sophisticated threats tomorrow; only a united and assertive EU response can stop the cycle of coercion and protect Europe’s industrial core
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are engaged in a high-stakes game of chicken in the emerging trade war. With more than 150% tariffs on Chinese…
The industrial heartland of Germany and central Europe is at risk from the second “China shock”. Here is how decision-makers can save industry and avert social and political strife
Mark Leonard welcomes Janka Oertel to unpack the US-China trade de-escalation and its implications for Europe
This week, tensions between India and Pakistan have led to direct combat and fatalities. As the confrontation escalates, Europeans will likely have to take clear sides and re-assess the role of Chinese military technology in future wars—which could be much closer to home
Mark Leonard welcomes Agathe Demarais and Janka Oertel to examine the diverse perspectives on US-China relations and how Europe can navigate this changing geopolitical landscape
Amid the global political turmoil, Taipei is aiming to keep Washington onside. But the arrival of the second Trump administration presents a parallel opportunity for Europe and Taiwan to deepen their cooperation in areas of mutual interest
Mark Leonard welcomes Camille Grand and Janka Oertel to unpack Taiwan’s strategic calculus amid rising global tensions, and Europe’s role in the Indo-Pacific
The industrial heartland of Germany and central Europe is at risk from the second “China shock”. Here is how decision-makers can save industry and avert social and political strife
China’s ideas could become the country’s next big export. The Idea of China examines Chinese thinking about global order, AI, demographic change, and more – and considers how these ideas could influence the world
European policymakers need to answer the ‘trust question’ of how far they want Chinese companies involved in green industries such as solar energy, batteries, and electric vehicles
Europeans risk over-dependence on China for the green technologies needed to build the low-carbon economy of the future. They should take steps to reduce their exposure – while recognising they will have to work with Chinese suppliers in some instances
The EU urgently needs to incorporate the concept and reality of the ‘protected home market advantage’ into its thinking on China
As climate action becomes more material to economic interests, Europe and China will both compete and cooperate with each other, against the backdrop of an overarching systemic rivalry
Europe should upgrade its security activities, and seize the moment to push multilateral institutions up the agenda. But it will be Europe’s connectivity agenda that provides the golden thread running through its foreign policy and its other objectives in the region
The Trump years galvanised Europeans’ efforts to strengthen their own sovereignty; they now need to agree concrete offers they can make to the new administration
The EU should move quickly to consider and adopt a suite of tools to protect and enhance European sovereignty in the geo-economic sphere
In its remaining months, the German Council presidency could use this momentum to create institutional structures to improve the EU’s capacity to act
Beijing is turning its rare earth monopoly into a weapon. The EU needs to treat this as the emergency that it is and unleash its anti-coercion shield to bring China to the negotiating table
China is scooping up supply chain information as part of its trade restrictions. Europe lags behind in economic intelligence, but there is a way to start closing this gap with a low-cost, low-bureaucracy, high-impact step
China’s export restrictions are bringing European factories to the verge of shutting down. Yielding to Chinese pressure today will only invite more sophisticated threats tomorrow; only a united and assertive EU response can stop the cycle of coercion and protect Europe’s industrial core
This week, tensions between India and Pakistan have led to direct combat and fatalities. As the confrontation escalates, Europeans will likely have to take clear sides and re-assess the role of Chinese military technology in future wars—which could be much closer to home
Amid the global political turmoil, Taipei is aiming to keep Washington onside. But the arrival of the second Trump administration presents a parallel opportunity for Europe and Taiwan to deepen their cooperation in areas of mutual interest
By imposing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, the European Commission has turned a corner on its relations with Beijing. To push back against an emboldened Brussels, Beijing will have to change tactics
The security challenge posed by Chinese electric vehicles is in many ways greater – and trickier to solve – than that of 5G networks. With such cars entering the European market at growing speed, policymakers need to move swiftly
The German government has shed most of its illusions about the future political and economic relationship with China. How it navigates the implementation of its new approach will have significant implications for the EU and other member states
Numerous European leaders are beating a path to Beijing’s door. ECFR Asia director Janka Oertel and the German Marshall Fund’s Andrew Small reflect on European wishful thinking, clever tactical manoeuvres, and long-term strategic choices
In a new world of strongmen and power politics, German policymakers should look beyond existing feminist foreign policy guidelines to develop a new China policy
Mark Leonard welcomes Janka Oertel to unpack the US-China trade de-escalation and its implications for Europe
Mark Leonard welcomes Agathe Demarais and Janka Oertel to examine the diverse perspectives on US-China relations and how Europe can navigate this changing geopolitical landscape
Mark Leonard welcomes Camille Grand and Janka Oertel to unpack Taiwan’s strategic calculus amid rising global tensions, and Europe’s role in the Indo-Pacific
Mark Leonard welcomes Rudra Chowdhury, James Crabtree and Janka Oertel to unpack Europe’s relations with Asia in the age of Donald Trump
On the morning after Germany’s election, Searching for Deutschland hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin were joined for a live webinar by ECFR colleagues Timo Lochocki and…
In Munich, Mark Leonard welcomes Ulrike Franke, Camille Grand, Janka Oertel and Jana Puglierin to unpack this year’s security conference
Germany’s industrial model thrived for years thanks to soaring Chinese demand. But the relationship has recently become more contentious. This week, hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana…
Mark Leonard welcomes Jeremy Cliffe, Janka Oertel, and Jana Puglierin to discuss the collapse of the German government coalition
Mark Leonard welcomes Agathe Demarais and Janka Oertel to discuss EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and the potential for future economic sanctions
Mark Leonard welcomes Alicja Bachulska and Janka Oertel to discuss their latest book, “The Idea of China.”
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are engaged in a high-stakes game of chicken in the emerging trade war. With more than 150% tariffs on Chinese…
Germany’s election results are in—now what? Join the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) for a timely post-election analysis in the early morning after results…
This event is part of the German Forum on Security Policy, organised by the Federal Academy for Security Policy (BAKS).
Rhodium Group are delighted to invite you to the virtual launch event of our new policy paper “Circuit Breakers: Securing the Green Energy Supply Chain”
NBR, Institut Montaigne (IM), and ECFR partner for a joint virtual event to discuss China’s global digital strategy
In collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in Madrid, ECFR has organised a public virtual debate to explore how the EU and the Indo-Pacific can build a strategic alliance and how the EU-Japan relationship can drive this process
This Oxford-style debate is part of ECFR’s Re:shape Global Europe project supported by Stiftung Mercator
How will the new administrations in Germany and Japan impact the EU’s and Japanese Indo-Pacific strategy and China policy?
Dans le cadre de La Fabrique Défense, l’ECFR Paris présentera une table-ronde en personne
Over the course of the day, we will discuss how Europe and Asia can redefine the Indo-Pacific in terms compatible with their mutual interests. The 3 sessions will look specifically at trade, connectivity, and the Green Transition
Janka Oertel on Germany’s vice-chancelor and finance minister Klingbeil’s China visit
Janka Oertel and Tobias Gehrke on Europe’s path out of dependence on rare raw materials from China
Janka Oertel on the EU’s sanctions on Russia
Janka Oertel on China’s demonstrations of power
Janka Oertel on China’s view of Trump’s diplomacy in Ukraine
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