Latest news with #APEC
West Australian
2 hours ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Summit season stands as Prime Minister Albanese's best chance to meet Trump
The Prime Minister is unlikely to get the chance to meet Donald Trump for at least another two months — and then it'll probably be on the sidelines of a summit rather than at the White House. Anthony Albanese could make as many as eight overseas visits before the end of the year, with five of them likely putting him in the same location as the US President. However, as he discovered at the G7 summit in Kananaskis in Canada in June, Mr Trump's changeable priorities mean there's no guarantee of securing anything. Mr Albanese said his office and the White House were working through the timing of a meeting. Previously, the attitude from government officials had been they wanted to line something up as quickly as possible to settle growing issues within the alliance, particularly around defence spending and the AUKUS pact. But on Tuesday, during a variety of interviews, Mr Albanese appeared more relaxed about the timing. 'When we have a meeting, we'll have a meeting. And when it's scheduled, that will occur,' he told Sky News. On Seven's Sunrise, he said that 'summit season' towards the end of the year offered multiple opportunities to meet. 'We have the G20, we have APEC, we have a range of meetings where the US President would be expected to attend, as well as leaders in the region, as well as of course the Quad meeting that will take place this year in India,' Mr Albanese said. 'Importantly here, I think that Australian viewers and lookers, watchers and readers, of some of the media would think that Australia is this little country that doesn't contribute anything to this relationship. We do. We're an important ally for the United States.' However, he conceded the timing of the presidential meeting remained open-ended, and said Australian and US ministers and officials were continuing talks. A date for the Quad leaders gathering — which will involve Mr Trump, Mr Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba — is tipped to be set as part of their foreign ministers' meeting overnight. Host nation India has reportedly been looking at dates in September. Mr Albanese is also expected to head to the United Nations General Assembly in late September, which would put him within a short flight of the White House. Scott Morrison timed his 2019 visit to Donald Trump with the UN gathering, enabling him to meet several other key world leaders on the same trip and address the General Assembly, which Mr Albanese is yet to do. The US and Australian leaders are also likely to both attend the APEC meeting in Korea at the end of October and the G20 in South Africa in November. Mr Trump may head to the ASEAN and East Asia Summit meetings in Malaysia earlier in October, just ahead of APEC, although it's not always a given that the US President attends in person. Also pencilled into the prime ministerial diary — alongside eight parliamentary sitting weeks — is a trip to China for the annual leadership dialogue later this month, the Pacific Island Forum in the Solomon Islands in September, and possibly the UN climate conference in Brazil in November. Australia wants to host next year's UN climate conference, but is in a stand-off with Turkey as each waits for the other to pull out of the running. There is value in the Prime Minister being able to speak with other leaders at these major summits and represent Australian interests on the global stage, United States Studies Centre international relations expert Brendon O'Connor said, even if it was just a shorter 'meet and greet'. When it came to the Trump administration, Professor O'Connor said there was just as much benefit from meeting his top advisers and cabinet members — as Mr Albanese did in Canada — and people shouldn't 'obsess about the idea of meeting' the President himself. 'There's this obviously very difficult balance with Trump at the moment, of not wanting to get Australia into unnecessary fights with Trump but, on the other hand, being out of sight, out of mind isn't entirely a bad thing with Trump,' he said. 'I think some of the media coverage of when will Albanese meet Trump, I don't think it's that useful … I don't think there's any great benefit of meeting Trump.' He pointed to the troubled Oval Office meetings with some leaders, notably Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, saying something on the sidelines of a summit would be a more attractive proposition for Australia. 'I wouldn't be advising the Australian Prime Minister to have a long sit down chat with the US media present and Trump just free-forming about which Australian leaders he likes and doesn't like, and why Australia is a good country or not a good country, and expecting whoever's there to basically agree with him,' Professor O'Connor said. Shadow defence minister Angus Taylor accused Mr Albanese of being 'more interested and more able to get a meeting with the President of China than the President of the United States'. 'We've got to get serious about this. Whether it's on the economic side, the trade side, on the national security and defence side, we've got to get serious about it,' he said. Since his inauguration in January, Mr Trump has hosted 14 world leaders at the White House and met a further six on overseas trips. Out of the OECD and G20 countries, there are 33 leaders he is yet to meet in-person this term.
West Australian
14 hours ago
- Business
- West Australian
Anthony Albanese denies he's prioritising Beijing over Washington, says Donald Trump meeting will come
Anthony Albanese has dismissed suggestions he's prioritising Australia's relationship with China over the United States, as he denied being 'embarrassed' about not yet meeting Donald Trump. In a morning media blitz, the Prime Minister said he would meet the United States President in the 'coming months', suggesting the two leaders would likely meet multiple times during the second half of the year on the sidelines of summits like the Quad, G20, and APEC. With Foreign Minister Penny Wong currently in Washington to meet with her Quad counterparts, the Prime Minister shrugged off suggestions it was 'embarrassing' he was the only Quad leader to have not yet met with Mr Trump. 'We'll have a meeting. We've had a few constructive discussions. I'm sure when we meet, it will be constructive as well,' he said, going on to describe their relationship as 'respectful'. With the deadline for negotiating on Mr Trump's so-called 'liberation day' tariffs approaching next week, Mr Albanese was keen to stress on Tuesday morning that Australia has one of the best deals on the US President's 'reciprocal' imports. 'There's no country in the world that has a lower tariff than Australia. So, that's the starting point,' he said. In a later interview with Sky News, Mr Albanese rebuffed claims he was prioritising China above the US. The Prime Minister is slated to travel to China later this month if a meeting with Xi Jinping can be locked in. Challenged on why he had met the Chinese President more times than he had met the American, Mr Albanese took umbrage. 'Well, Xi Jinping has been in office for some time and the person who had Xi Jinping address our national parliament here was Tony Abbott, just for the record,' Mr Albanese said. 'I've met with the US President more than I have met with the President of China since I've been the Prime Minister and I've travelled five times to the United States and one time to China.' Over on Channel 7, Mr Albanese said his Government was using all of its 'assets' in the US to give Australia a leg up with the Trump Administration. Asked if that included Gina Rinehart or Greg Norman, who the Prime Minister has confirmed spoke to before the ill-fated G7 bilateral meeting, Mr Albanese said he was working in Australia's interests. 'Well, we talk to all of our assets, if you like, the great Australians who make a difference around the world,' he told Sunrise. The Prime Minister was also asked about reports in the Australian Financial Review covering an auditor-general's report that revealed military chiefs failed for almost 2.5 years to provide formal updates to Defence Minister Richard Marles on the readiness of the army, air force, and navy to be deployed on missions. The report released on Friday reportedly showed Defence stopped giving Mr Marles half-yearly 'preparedness' reports. Mr Albanese dismissed the AFR's reporting as 'absurd'. 'We meet regularly. I certainly have met with heads of all of the armed forces regularly. And, you know, that is just completely incorrect,' he said. 'The idea, this $57 billion that we've added to our defence investment of our capability, has come directly after discussions and engagement, obviously, with defence … Don't believe everything you read in the papers.'
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
South Korea-Malaysia FTA to boost trade and green economy ties
KUALA LUMPUR: South Korea's Ambassador to Malaysia, Yeo Seung Bae,, has reaffirmed Seoul's commitment to finalising a free trade agreement (FTA) with Malaysia, calling it a key step in deepening economic and strategic ties. Speaking to Bernama, Yeo highlighted that the FTA goes beyond traditional trade, incorporating digital transformation, green economy initiatives, and bio-economy cooperation. 'This is not just a conventional trade deal but a forward-looking partnership,' he said. Negotiations have progressed significantly, with nine rounds completed. Yeo expects the deal to be finalised during the ASEAN summit in October, marking a milestone in bilateral relations. 'Both nations stand to gain, from businesses to farmers and fishers,' he added, though specifics remain confidential. The push for the FTA follows a recent phone conversation between Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, where both leaders agreed to expand cooperation. Yeo noted that under President Lee's new administration, South Korea is prioritising pragmatic diplomacy, particularly with ASEAN. 'This year is significant—Malaysia chairs ASEAN, while Korea hosts APEC. Expect more high-level engagements,' he said. South Korea is Malaysia's eighth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade surpassing US$20 billion annually since 2020.
CTV News
6 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Google urges CRTC to use restraint with regulating online platforms
Participants make their way through a Google booth and display at the APEC summit in Lima, Peru on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA — Google's representatives are asking the federal broadcast regulator to exercise caution and restraint in regulating online platforms. They say there is no rationale for the CRTC imposing traditional regulatory tools on online platforms. Google is appearing today before a CRTC hearing on market dynamics, held as part of the regulator's work to implement the Online Streaming Act, which updated broadcasting laws to capture online platforms. Google, which owns YouTube, says in its opening statement that legislation already exempts from regulation most content made available on social media platforms. But the company is pushing back against the prospect of mandatory data sharing. It's arguing the proposal raises privacy and confidentiality concerns and could disrupt the market in unintended ways. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2025. Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press
Toronto Star
6 days ago
- Business
- Toronto Star
Google urges CRTC to use restraint with Online Streaming Act
Participants make their way through a Google booth and display at the APEC summit in Lima, Peru on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick SKP flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
