Accident-prone Energy Minister  Chris Bowen spent the last week or so of July demonstrating that his abilities as a diplomat are on a par with his domestic ministerial performance. So there was little surprise in the outcome of his being sent to Asia to ‘strengthen ministerial and industry connections in support of Australia’s role as a clean energy exporter’ and to resolve the developing crisis over the threat posed to the energy security of Japan and Korea, our second- and third-largest export markets and vital strategic allies, by the Albanese government’s new emissions laws.