After waiting years for a face-to-face with Donald Trump, Anthony Albanese has now met the US president twice in 10 days. The Australian prime minister, who visited Washington last week, sat beside Trump on Wednesday evening at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit dinner in Gyeongju, South Korea.
Eight leaders attended the dinner, including the prime ministers of New Zealand, Canada, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. The event was held ahead of Trump’s highly anticipated talks with China’s president, Xi Jinping.
Addressing the assembled leaders, Trump singled out Albanese, saying they had “a great meeting” last week and praising growing cooperation between the two countries — notably on rare earths and other strategic issues. The pair greeted each other warmly and posed for an official photograph at the table.
Albanese’s White House visit was widely seen as a success after the two leaders signed a multibillion-dollar agreement giving the US greater access to Australia’s critical minerals reserves, a key element in efforts to diversify supply chains for advanced technologies.
At Apec, Albanese told reporters he hoped for a positive outcome in talks between Washington and Beijing and stressed the importance of open, fair trade for Australia and the global economy. He declined to endorse Trump’s recent suggestion that tariffs can strengthen alliances, reiterating Australia’s preference for more open trade.
Trump said he and South Korea’s president, Lee Jae Myung, had nearly finalised a trade deal but offered no details. He also reignited tensions with Canada, writing on his social platform that he had not come to South Korea to ‘see Canada.’ Despite the comment, Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, and Trump were seated at the same table; they sat opposite each other and acknowledged one another on arrival.
The Apec stop continues an intense period of travel for Albanese, who in recent weeks has visited the US twice and also travelled to the UK, UAE and Malaysia. Asked about the upcoming COP30 leaders’ summit in Brazil in November, Albanese said Australia would be represented there but that he would remain in Canberra for parliamentary sittings.
Australia is part of a bid, alongside Pacific nations, to host COP in 2026, but Turkey has launched a competing bid. If host selection remains unresolved by the end of this year’s COP, the rights would revert to Bonn.