Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: Thank you Vice President Han for your very warm welcome, and I echo my appreciation for meeting with you again after we met most recently in Washington.
It is a great pleasure to be here in China for my third official visit as Foreign Minister. And later today, I will co-chair the eighth Australia-China Foreign and Strategic Dialogue with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and I'm looking forward to the thorough and constructive discussion of bilateral, regional and international issues.
Australia is committed to working with China to further areas of practical cooperation, including in supporting its APEC host year. And we continue to make good progress in ensuring a constructive and stable relationship in the interests of both our countries.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Albanese and Premier Li agreed to increase our communication and our cooperation on the critical issue of energy security. Obviously, the Middle East conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continue to disrupt global energy markets, with Asian refineries and the Indo-Pacific region disproportionately affected.
In that context, it is more important than ever that we continue to engage and find ways to work together, to keep fuel and goods flowing. With China, Australia will continue to cooperate where we can, disagree where we must and engage in the national interest.
My visit to China and our discussions here today will build on the steady tempo of high-level engagement between Australia and China, including between the Prime Minister and the President, regular exchanges between ministers for trade and for climate, and the visit to Australia by National People's Congress Chairman Zhao Leji as a guest of our Presiding Officers.
So, I look forward to a productive discussion with you today. Thank you.
