2 weeks Ago By David Crowe
Lima: Anthony Albanese has been greeted with bear hugs and bro handshakes at a regional summit where he renewed his friendship with United States President Joe Biden, as world leaders brace for radical change under President-elect Donald Trump. The prime minister approached Biden in the first moments of the formal talks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Peru so they could have a personal conversation before the session began, while other leaders looked on. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese greets US President Joe Biden at APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue on Friday (Lima time).
Credit: Alex Ellinghausen But the prime minister did not gain a chance to talk to Chinese president Xi Jinping, who skipped the first session of the summit, with no explanation for his absence. Biden gave Albanese a broad smile as the two talked and laughed while other leaders took their seats. “President Biden was in good form,” Albanese said at a press conference later.
“I don’t talk about the detail of private discussions, as you’d be aware, but it was friendly. I regard him as a good friend personally, but also a good friend of Australia.” While Biden is leaving office after a stunning defeat for the Democrats and vice-president Kamala Harris at the November 5 election, Albanese said the president was pleased to be at the summit.
“He was upbeat,” he said. “He was pleased to be here at APEC. He is, of course, continuing to work in the interest of the United States.
” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greeted Albanese with a bro handshake – their arms angled up, hands locked – and turned this into a bear hug given their shared progressive politics. Albanese also shared a bear hug with the president of Chile, Gabriel Boric , who began his career in student politics as a firebrand of the left, much like the prime minister. The two-day summit in Lima is shadowed by uncertainty about what Trump will do when he takes office on January 20, while Xi is holding a flurry of one-on-one meetings with regional leaders to present China as a rising power and reliable trading partner.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greeted Albanese with a handshake and a bear hug. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Xi meets Biden in Lima after APEC summit ends on the weekend, in their last meeting before the US president steps down. Albanese is expected to speak with Xi when the two attend the G20 summit in Brazil on Monday and Tuesday.
Xi is meeting the New Zealand prime minister on Saturday afternoon, local time. Albanese met Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Thursday morning (Lima time) and held talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong . Albanese travelled to Lima with his partner Jodie Haydon .
After three days in Peru, the Australian delegation will head to Brazil for the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, the gathering for leaders from the world’s largest economies. Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here .
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