Anthony Albanese departs on summit season trip amid Xi Jinping snub

Anthony Albanese will miss out on a hoped-for meeting with Xi Jinping this week as he flies into a region simmering with tensions over Beijing’s renewed territorial claims.

Anthony Albanese and Narendra Modi greet each other during an Indian community event in Sydney in May. Picture: Getty Images

Anthony Albanese will miss out on a hoped-for meeting with Xi Jinping this week as he flies into a region simmering with tensions over Beijing’s renewed territorial claims over the South China Sea and parts of India.

The Prime Minister will ­depart on Tuesday for Jakarta to attend the ASEAN and East Asia summits, before visiting The Philippines for talks with Ferdinand Marcos, and attending the G20 leaders summit in Delhi.

Mr Albanese will use the Jakarta leg of the trip to release Australia’s new Southeast Asia Economic Strategy, written by special envoy Nicholas Moore, which the government hopes will turbocharge the nation’s engagement with the powerhouse region.

Mr Xi was not due to travel to Jakarta, sending Premier Li Qiang in his place, but it emerged in recent days that he would also skip the G20 summit in a snub to host Narendra Modi.

The move will deny Mr Albanese a bilateral meeting with the Chinese leader ahead of the Prime Minister’s expected trip to Beijing later this year, but a meeting with Mr Li remains possible.

Joe Biden said he was disappointed he would not have the opportunity to meet his Chinese counterpart in Delhi, amid US ­efforts to take the heat out of the strained bilateral relationship.

Mr Xi’s no-show will further undermine Beijing’s relations with Delhi, a week after China outraged its neighbours by releasing a new map reasserting disputed claims to parts of northeast India, the South China Sea, and even a Russian island it had previously agreed to share.

The claims are set to be discussed in Jakarta but there is little hope of a united front from ASEAN on the issue, given China’s key economic clout in the region.

Mr Albanese will be accompanied by partner Jodie Heydon, while Foreign Minister Penny Wong will also travel to Jakarta.

Australia’s critical minerals resources are expected to be a key topic of discussion in a raft of bilateral meetings, with Mr Albanese telling mining industry bosses on Monday night that the sector was “vital to every nation seeking to decarbonise”.

The Prime Minister’s stop in The Philippines will be a whirlwind one lasting less than 24 hours, but is seen as key to ­cementing ties with the strategically important nation that has a tense relationship with China.

The visit comes just weeks after Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles’ trip to the country, coinciding with joint military exercises involving Australia, Filipino and US personnel, and recent joint maritime patrols.

The Philippines’ ambassador to Australia, Hellen De La Vega, said closer defence and economic ties were on the cards as the countries worked towards sealing a new strategic partnership.