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Zac de Silva and Andrew Brown

Asia trip fuelled by need to secure energy access

Foreign Minister Penny Wong will soon arrive in Japan as she tries to secure access to Asian petrol. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

Australia's foreign minister will push for priority access to Asian petrol, diesel and fertiliser when she tours the region over the next week.

Penny Wong is scheduled to touch down in Japan on Monday night, and will also visit China and South Korea seeking to shore up Australia's fuel supplies.

As with previous trips led by her and the prime minster, Senator Wong will seek to leverage Australia's food and natural gas exports in exchange for more fuel.

"We want to remain a reliable supplier and we want to see Australia prioritised when it comes to diesel, petrol and fertiliser," she told reporters in Adelaide before her departure.

Fuel
Australia's fuel security will feature in talks during Penny Wong's Asia trip. (Jay Kogler/AAP PHOTOS)

Senator Wong said she was concerned about ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which was a major trade route for global oil supplies before the Iran War.

"The Strait of Hormuz supplies about 80 per cent of the oil to our region, so Australia and the countries of the region are disproportionately affected. That means we've got to work together," she said.

Senator Wong will meet her counterparts in Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul as part of the trip.

"The Australian government remains committed to a stable and constructive relationship with China, which is in the interests of both our countries," she said, in a statement before her departure.

"Australia and China have a comprehensive strategic partnership and benefit from deep economic ties, with our trade relationship underpinning supply chains, investment and livelihoods in both economies."

Motorists fill up with discounted fuel.
The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz has impacted fuel prices globally. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)

The talks come after China recently granted additional export licences to Australian beef producers, despite imposing a quota in January.

All imports of Australian beef into China after the quota is met will be hit with a 55 per cent tariff.

The Asian tour will finish with a trip to Seoul, where the foreign minister will meet with her South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun.

South Korea is one of Australia's prime sources of refined fuels, including petrol, diesel and aviation fuel.

The trip follows Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's recent visits to Southeast Asian nations to shore up fuel supplies during an oil crisis driven by the Iran War.

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