Australia seeks stable ties with China as energy risks rise

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had discussed the importance of energy security during a phone call with his Chinese counterpart, Li Qiang, on Tuesday. The conversation came as the war with Iran disrupts the global energy market.

Albanese and Li agreed to strengthen government-to-government communication to promote regional energy security, the Australian prime minister’s office said in a statement.

On relations with China, Albanese stressed that Australia would ‘cooperate where possible, disagree where necessary and act in the national interest’. According to the statement, dialogue and engagement at the highest level are key to a stable and constructive relationship between the two countries.

The prime minister also said he looked forward to visiting China for the APEC leaders’ meeting in November, where he is due to meet Li again. China is Australia’s largest trading partner, with liquefied natural gas among the main commodities it imports from Australia.

(reuters, bak)