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Ralph Jennings

Australia’s trade minister will visit China in an effort to shore up fuel supplies that have run short this year because of bottlenecks in the Strait of Hormuz during the US–Israeli war in Iran.
Australian Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell told a press conference that he would travel to China to meet Commerce Minister Wang Wentao after a stop in Japan on Monday.
“Very much the topic of the day will be how do we continue to ensure reliable fuel supplies into this country,” Farrell said, according to an emailed transcript of the press conference on Friday. “And of course, particularly in the area of jet fuel, China is very important in that equation.”
China’s jet fuel exports fell sharply in the first month of the Iran war, according to trade data provider Kpler, leaving Australia facing a supply crunch and forcing it to seek alternative sellers. The decline followed severe disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global energy flows.
But Beijing had agreed to work with Australian businesses on shipments, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said last month after talks in Beijing with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
“The Australian government’s increased travel to China underscores a strategy to diversify fuel sources, maintain flight services and control the domestic market while bolstering national reserves,” said Kannan Govindan, director of the Centre for Sustainable Operations and Resilient Supply Chains at Adelaide University in Australia.
“This shift allows Chinese energy firms to secure dominant long-term supply contracts across the Asia-Pacific region,” he added.


Farrell said his visit would build on the talks Wong had held in East Asia, aimed at maintaining strong regional links to guarantee fuel supplies and “keep our country running”.
Japan, South Korea and Singapore have also pledged to continue fuel shipments to Australia, an official told Sky News in April.
Australia had recently budgeted A$14 billion (US$10 billion) to “ensure that we continue to guarantee reliable fuel supplies for Australian businesses and Australian consumers”, he added.
China was Australia’s largest source of jet fuel imports last year at 1.53 million tonnes, or 32.1 per cent of total inbound shipments, Dow Jones reported, citing the data provider Vortexa.
Over the past three years, Beijing and Canberra have worked to stabilise bilateral ties by resolving a series of pandemic-era disputes that had affected about A$20 billion in trade.
Australian citizens can eventually reduce “dependence” on imported fuels as officials improve “resilience to energy shocks”, according to the government’s Budget 2026-27 website.
The country has secured more than a billion extra litres of fuel for March to June in part by underwriting additional cargoes and adjusting fuel standards so more Australian‑produced fuels can be used, the website said.


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Beijing tightened jet fuel exports after the war broke out, forcing Canberra to seek alternative suppliers


Beijing tightened jet fuel exports after the war broke out, forcing Canberra to seek alternative suppliers.


Australian trade minister to visit China to secure fuel during Iran war crunch

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Beijing tightened jet fuel exports after the war broke out, forcing Canberra to seek alternative suppliers

Beijing tightened jet fuel exports after the war broke out, forcing Canberra to seek alternative suppliers