Updated ,first published
Beijing: Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged China to resume critical exports of jet fuel and other fuels to Australia if it wants to continue receiving reliable supplies of iron ore and gas, as she undertakes a blitz across Asia to shore up energy security.
In an interview with this masthead, Wong revealed she would make the case to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday evening that Australia and China’s energy interests were entwined, as the Iran-US chokehold over the strait continues into its ninth week without a clear pathway to resolution.
“We supply you with iron ore, we supply you with coal, we supply LNG, and we supply food, and we want to see a reliable supply of liquid fuels, including jet fuel,” she said, describing Australia’s pitch to China.
“We have a shared interest in this because those inputs are required for us to continue to be a reliable supplier.
“You can’t run a mining industry without jet fuel and diesel. You need to get your FIFO workers there.”
Wong did not confirm if she had secured any assurances from China that it would resume jet fuel exports after it heavily curtailed shipments at the outbreak of the Iran war to build up its own domestic supplies. Australia sources 30 per cent of its jet fuel needs from China
Her visit coincided with signals that Beijing could relax its defacto ban, with British newspaper The Financial Times reporting on Wednesday that China’s largest state oil companies have applied for export permits to ship fuel in May.
Pressed on whether she hoped to leave China with a concrete commitment that exports would resume by a certain date, Wong said: “Ultimately, China’s got to make its decision.”
But Wong’s visit to Beijing on Wednesday got off to an awkward start after Chinese officials disrupted an earlier meeting between her and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, when they attempted to usher Australian media out of the room before she had completed her opening remarks.
One Chinese official moved in front of the Australian government’s official cameraman, obstructing his efforts to film Wong’s prepared statement as she spoke of the global uncertainty and energy crisis caused by the Iran War.
Ignoring the efforts to move them on, Australian media remained in place until Wong finished speaking, where she stressed that the Middle East conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had hit Asian refineries and the Indo-Pacific Region disproportionately.
“In that context, it’s more important than ever that we continue to engage and find ways to work together to keep fuel and goods flowing,” Wong said in her opening remarks, addressing them Han who was seated across from her at a long table, flanked by Chinese officials.
Wong and Australian ambassador Scott Dewar, who was seated next to her, looked up in the direction of the Australian media pack as officials began insisting they leave, despite protests from the journalists that the foreign minister was still speaking.
Eventually, the Chinese officials used a rope to usher the media out of the room, with reporters voluntarily departing once Wong had finished her remarks, which took a few minutes.
Han, who addressed the meeting before Wong, did not mention the energy crisis in his opening remarks. Citing progress in the bilateral relationship, he said China was ready to “offer a more mature, steady and more fruitful China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership.”
No date yet for resumption of fuel exports
Wong’s trip to Beijing is part of a quick trip through East Asia this week, flanked by stops in Tokyo and Seoul to discuss fuel security. It builds on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Wong’s oil diplomacy tours this month to key Asian trading partners Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei.
Asia has borne the brunt of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and now is among the worst-hit regions by the energy crisis.
Asked about the feedback she was hearing from Asian neighbours on how these issues were affecting the standing of Australia’s close security ally, Wong said there was a “shared understanding” that the US was repositioning its role in world affairs.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that this President Trump envisages a different role for America and the world, and a different approach to the countries of the world,” Wong said.
Wong declined to engage directly on whether she was concerned that diminishing US credibility in Asia would translate to a rising reliance on China in Asia and strengthen Beijing’s global leadership aspirations, but she acknowledged “this is a time of great change”.
“You have a different US. You have a different China. We have to have the confidence in ourselves to navigate a different world, and we do that by building relationships in the region and beyond, which is what the government’s been doing,” she said.
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Lisa Visentin is the North Asia correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age based in Beijing. She was previously a federal political correspondent based in Canberra.Connect via X or email.
