The energy security pact, made at the second East Asia Summit (EAS) in the Philippines, also called for a greater use of biofuels, reducing the cost of renewable energy, as part of a bid to help cut the region’s dependence on fossil fuels.

While it also called for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the agreement did not set any regional targets.

Also at the meeting, Australia and China also established a joint working group on clean coal technology, comprising government, scientific and industry representatives, which will meet for the first time in April.

Those attending the second EAS on the central Philippine island of Cebu, were leaders from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. ASEAN comprises Brunei, Myanmar, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The declaration acknowledged that while crude oil would still underpin their economies for the foreseeable future, it called for better efforts to find future alternatives.

The summit, an annual meeting that began last year, is aimed at helping to create trade and security ties among countries that account for half the world’s population and a fifth of global trade.