Li, Albanese discuss energy, bilateral trade

China and Australia have agreed to back regional energy security as the world faced rising oil prices sparked by war in the Middle East. In a phone call between Premier Li Qiang and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the two leaders discussed the importance of energy security "in light of the current global challenges", according to a Canberra summary of their conversation. "The prime minister and Premier Li agreed to increase government-to-government communication so that Australia and China are both working in support of regional energy security," it said. According to Xinhua News Agency, Li said there's great potential for China-Australia green cooperation, and Beijing is willing to leverage complementary advantages with Canberra to deepen cooperation in such areas as clean energy, electric vehicles, energy storage and carbon reduction, jointly building stronger momentum for the development of the green economy. The premier also said China's vast market will remain open to the world, and Beijing is willing to import more high-quality products from Australia. Li added that China stands ready to work with Australia to expand and upgrade bilateral trade, support enterprises of both countries in conducting cooperation based on market principles, and promote mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. (Agencies) Edited by Edmond Fong