Australia and China agreed Tuesday to back regional energy security as the world faced rising oil prices sparked by war in the Middle East, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s office said.
The Australian leader held a telephone call with Chinese Premier Li Qiang to discuss the importance of energy security “in light of the current global challenges”, according to a summary of their conversation.
“The Prime Minister and Premier Li agreed to increase government-to-government communication so that Australia and China are both working in support of regional energy security,” it said.
The two sides agreed that high-level engagement was central to a “mature, stable and constructive relationship”.
Australia relies on imports for an estimated 90 percent of its refined petroleum products, most of it coming from Asia.
China is a major source of aviation fuel for Australia while also being a big importer of Australian liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Albanese said Tuesday he would travel to Singapore from April 9-11 to discuss trade in essential supplies such as diesel and LNG.
Singapore is Australia’s largest single supplier of refined petroleum products.
Last week, the Australian government halved its fuel tax on petrol for three months to help alleviate rising costs for motorists and truck drivers.
