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Penny Wong says China has agreed to help with jet fuel exports
Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong says China has agreed to work to facilitate exports of jet fuel, in an attempt to ease supply disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East, AFP reports.
China, a major exporter of jet fuel and diesel to Australia and other countries, has avoided the worst of the war’s energy impacts thanks to its vast oil stocks, but paused exports at the start of the war to protect its domestic supplies.
“I can confirm… that the Chinese government is facilitating engagement with Australian businesses on jet fuel,” Wong told reporters in Beijing, following talks with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.
She added that the move was “an important step, however, it is the first step”.
Earlier in the day, Wong had told Han that refineries in the Indo-Pacific region were disproportionately affected by the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.
In the talks, she called for greater reciprocity in trade, emphasising that Australia’s steady supply of raw materials and food to China should be matched by a reliable flow of gasoline, kerosene and fertilizers back to Australia.
“I made the point that the import inputs China supplies to Australia, including jet fuel, support the Australian resources sector, which in turn helps to maintain the flow of commodities that are so important in the bilateral trading relationship,” Wong told the press conference.
Key events
Bondi royal commission interim report to be handed down
Nino Bucci
An interim report by the antisemitism royal commissioner Virginia Bell is expected to be released on Thursday.
Bell was appointed to lead the royal commission after the Bondi terror attack, and her interim report is expected to focus on intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
She is expected to “identify other issues requiring urgent or immediate action” and make recommendations about these issues in the report, according to a spokesperson for the commission.
The report will include information given to the commission through submissions, notices to produce and meetings, rather than in public or private hearings.
The first block of public hearings are expected to start on Monday, and will focus on experiences of antisemitism.
The inquiry was established in the wake of the December’s massacre, in which two gunmen shot and killed 15 people and injured 40 others as they attended a beachside Hanukah event for the Jewish community.
Naveed Akram, 24, faces 15 charges of murder and 40 of attempted murder in relation to the attack. His 50-year-old father, Sajid, was shot dead by police.
Australia may need have to spend more on Aukus, US committee head says
Luca Ittimani
A top member of a US Congress committee overseeing Aukus has said Australia may be required to spend more to ensure American shipbuilders can deliver promised nuclear submarines.
Australia has already sent the US about $3bn (US$2bn) of the $4bn (US$3bn) it committed to invest in American manufacturers in 2023, when the plan was forecast to cost Australia $368bn by the mid-2050s.
Joe Courtney, a senior US democrat, said US politicians appreciated that investment but more may be needed. He told ABC’s 7.30 on Wednesday:
I don’t think the US$3bn number, which is in the optimal pathway, is the 10 commandments. I think that as this enterprise unfolds,there may be a rationale for Australia to participate more,but, as I said, at this point, the commitment of US$3bn, [and] already the transmittal [sic] of US$2bn of that commitment is something that most people, certainly on Capitol Hill, still remark and comment very favourably and appreciate.
Courtney also backed the warnings of a UK committee this week that British shipbuilders may not be able to deliver the Aukus subs, saying more investment would be needed for the UK to deliver.
But he said the US Navy’s vice adm Robert Gaucher had told him days earlier that the US’ goal of boosting manufacturing to average 2.3 submarines a year by 2032 was on track. Courtney also dismissed Donald Trump’s “unfair” and “gratuitous shots” at Australia, saying:
“AUKUS is a long-term security agreement. It’s going to take place and evolve … It’s going to be something that will rise above this time that we are living in right now with the Trump Administration.”
Penny Wong says China has agreed to help with jet fuel exports
Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong says China has agreed to work to facilitate exports of jet fuel, in an attempt to ease supply disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East, AFP reports.
China, a major exporter of jet fuel and diesel to Australia and other countries, has avoided the worst of the war’s energy impacts thanks to its vast oil stocks, but paused exports at the start of the war to protect its domestic supplies.
“I can confirm… that the Chinese government is facilitating engagement with Australian businesses on jet fuel,” Wong told reporters in Beijing, following talks with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.
She added that the move was “an important step, however, it is the first step”.
Earlier in the day, Wong had told Han that refineries in the Indo-Pacific region were disproportionately affected by the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.
In the talks, she called for greater reciprocity in trade, emphasising that Australia’s steady supply of raw materials and food to China should be matched by a reliable flow of gasoline, kerosene and fertilizers back to Australia.
“I made the point that the import inputs China supplies to Australia, including jet fuel, support the Australian resources sector, which in turn helps to maintain the flow of commodities that are so important in the bilateral trading relationship,” Wong told the press conference.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
Penny Wong has been busy on her latest overseas trip, saying China has agreed to negotiate on jet fuel sales to help ease the global oil crisis.
An interim report by the antisemitism royal commissioner, Virginia Bell, is expected to be released at 9am. We’ll have the details as soon as it happens.
