Senior global leaders gathered in South Korea on Wednesday night as the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit commenced, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese positioned on the right of US President Donald Trump during a dinner in Gyeongju.
The event, held at the Hilton Hotel, brought together the presidents of South Korea and the United States, along with the prime ministers of Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Leaders were served premium South Korean steak and Trump-branded wine under a sign that read, “Special Dinner in honour of President Donald J. Trump”.
During the meeting, Trump took the microphone and referenced recent trade agreements signed with South Korea, Japan and Australia. He highlighted the $13 billion critical minerals deal secured between Australia and the US during the White House talks on October 20.
Turning to Albanese, Trump patted him on the arm and said, “We had a great meeting a week ago”.
“You came all the way (to Washington, DC) and now you came here, but this isn’t quite as far, this time I travelled far,” he told the Australian prime minister.
“But you’ve done a fantastic job and we’re working together on rare earths. But we’re working on a lot of things together and it is working well.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney sat across the table from Trump – a placement reflecting the strained relationship between the two leaders.
Last week, Trump announced he was halting trade negotiations with Canada over a television advertisement he alleged included misleading claims about tariffs.
It is a reminder, if needed, of the importance for Albanese to remain in Washington’s favour.
Albanese is scheduled to meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung today.
However, global focus will again shift to Trump as he prepares for talks with China’s President Xi.
Many are hoping the meeting will ease economic tensions and improve global trade dynamics.
Ahead of the talks, Trump said, “I look forward to that meeting”.
“We have been talking a lot over the last month and I think we will have something that is very satisfactory to China.”
Images: Sunrise
