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 in Lima.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Biden gave Albanese a broad smile as the two talked and laughed while other leaders took their seats.
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 Chinese President Xi Jinping is holding a flurry of 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 the end of the APEC summit 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.
Albanese met Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Thursday morning, local time, and held talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
Albanese travelled with his partner, Jodie Haydon, to Lima. After three days in Peru the Australian delegation heads to Brazil for the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, the gathering for leaders from the world’s largest economies.
