Business, diplomatic talks in PM’s SE Asia energy dash
Meetings with the head of a major global oil giant and the Malaysian prime minister will be at the forefront of the last official day of Anthony Albanese’s Southeast Asia fuel security tour following his arrival in Kuala Lumpur.
With a light rain in the air following a heavy downpour, Mr Albanese was greeted by a white-suited military guard of honor as he descended the steps of his RAAF aircraft on Tuesday evening.
He was welcomed on the tarmac by Malaysian Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup and a number of other officials and then taken away in a convoy.
A small crowd gathered to watch Mr Albanese arrive at his hotel in Kuala Lumpur city centre, including a man wearing a Rabbitohs jersey who shook the prime minister’s hand.
Malaysia supplies 14 per cent of Australia’s diesel, 10 per cent of its gasoline and 11 per cent of its jet fuel, and is also the country’s largest supplier of crude oil.
The Prime Minister will seek to strengthen Australia’s position as Malaysia’s dominant liquefied natural gas supplier to secure guarantees on long-term fuel shipments if the Middle East war continues to cause chaos in global trade.
Mr Albanese will meet on Thursday with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and senior executives from Petronas, one of Asia’s largest oil producers and refiners.
Malaysia also imports hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Russian oil and fuel each year, some of which is sold to Australia.
Ukraine called for a complete ban on the use of Russian oil.
The talks came after Mr Albanese received assurances during a 24-hour visit to Brunei Darussalam that the tiny sultanate was not considering restricting the amount of fuel or fertilizer sent to Australia.
In return, Australia, Brunei’s largest trading partner, will continue to provide significant food shipments.
Brunei provides about 11 percent of Australia’s fertilizer. In 2024, Australia supplied nearly three-quarters of Brunei’s meat imports.
At the meeting at Brunei’s Royal Palace, both Mr Albanese and Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah expressed “deep concern” about the war in the Middle East and vowed to strengthen energy supply chains and maintain open trade flows.
“Australia has always been a reliable friend and partner. Our relations have continued to improve over the years,” the monarch told Mr Albanese during the bilateral meeting.
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