Donald Trump, tariffs to top Anthony Albanese’s G20 talks with Xi Jinping
The leaders will meet at the start of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, just over 12 months after Xi Jinping hosted the PM in Beijing for their second meeting.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a third bilateral meeting with Anthony Albanese at the start of the G20 summit, with the leaders expected to discuss the aftermath of Donald Trump’s election victory, tariff war fears and strengthening the China-Australia trade relationship.
Just over 12-months after Mr Xi hosted the Prime Minister in Beijing for their second meeting, the pair will sit down in Rio de Janeiro at a time of heightened anxiety for China over the scale of Mr Trump’s threatened 60 per cent tariffs on Chinese imports.
Mr Albanese, who is not seeking a meeting with Mr Trump following the G20 summit, will not hold formal talks with outgoing US President Joe Biden, who on Monday (AEDT) became the first American leader to travel to the Amazon.
Amid concerns Australian products could be slugged with tariffs of up to 20 per cent, Mr Albanese has pledged to seek a positive outcome for local goods with a Trump administration, while not interfering between the US and China.
After meeting with Mr Xi, Mr Albanese will hold talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who last week committed his Labour government to a 2035 target cutting emissions by 81 per cent. The meetings will run from late Monday (AEDT) into Tuesday. Mr Albanese will join G20 host and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday (AEDT) at the launch of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty.
Following the APEC meeting in Peru and G20 summit in Brazil, Mr Albanese is planning to return to Canberra by Thursday and attend this week’s final parliamentary sitting day.
Next week is the final parliamentary sitting week before the Christmas break and election year.
Ahead of the two-day G20 leaders’ summit, the Prime Minister and fiancee Jodie Haydon attended Sunday mass at the Catedral Metropolitana de Sao do Rio de Janeiro, a massive Catholic Church in the heart of the beachside city with 64m high stained glass windows.
After arriving early in Rio de Janeiro following the APEC summit in Lima, Mr Albanese had no public engagements on Sunday, as he prepared for a series of key bilateral meetings.
In May, The Australian revealed Mr Albanese had begun attending mass at St Christopher’s Cathedral in Canberra after re-engaging with his faith following the passing of his mother and his rise as opposition leader and Prime Minister.
The Labor leader reportedly no longer refers to himself as a nominal Catholic but as a “flawed Catholic” who occasionally attends mass.
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