Cringe moment Anthony Albanese HOLDS HANDS with Xi Jinping at centre of G20 leaders family photo - but there are some very notable absentees
Anthony Albanese has been pictured in a cringeworthy moment, holding hands with Chinas President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Anthony Albanese has been pictured in a cringeworthy moment, holding hands with Chinas President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
With Mr Albaneses right hand clutching President Xis left and his left hand holding the right of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, they joined the other leaders from the worlds 20 leading economies for what looked like an excruciating experience for all involved.
There was one glaring absence from the family photo though, with the outgoing US president Joe Biden choosing to skip the photo opportunity.
Other notable absentees from the group photo to mark the launch of the Global Alliance for Hunger and Poverty included Canadas Prime Minster Justin Trudeau and Giorgia Meloni of Italy.
But if the American, Canadian and Italian leaders wanted to avoid being pictured holding hands with Mr Xi, Mr Albanese was right there front and centre, even if he did look very uncomfortable while doing so.
Mr Xi had earlier acknowledged the twists and turns in Chinas rocky relationship with Australia as he held direct talks with Mr Albanese at the summit.
It was the third formal discussions between the leaders since Mr Albanese took office in 2022, after Chinas tense relations with his predecessor Scott Morrison.
But the cosiness was too much for some, with Pauline Hanson tweeting that Xi Jinping is playing (Mr Albanese) for a fool and hes too busy patting himself on the back for trade deals to see whats really happening.
Anthony Albanese has been photographed in a cringeworthy moment, holding hands with Chinas President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro
Mr Albanese met Mr Xi at the Chinese leaders hotel in Rio on Monday, 10 years to the day since the two countries signed a comprehensive strategic partnership put in place under then prime minister Tony Abbott.
Later at the summit, Mr Xi noted the turnaround in relations between the two countries, referencing trade sanctions Beijing implemented in response to perceived slights from Australia, including a call to investigate the origins of Covid-19.
The meeting followed Beijings state-owned newspaper China Daily praising Prime Minister Albanese as a world leader that others from the West should try to emulate.
Over the past decade, we have made some progress in China-Australia relations and also witnessed some twists and terms, President Xi said on Monday.
That trajectory has many inspirations to offer... now, our relations have realised a turnaround and continue to grow, bringing tangible benefits to our two peoples.
So this is the result of our collective hard work in the same direction, and should be maintained with great care.
I wish to work with you, Mr Prime Minister, to make our comprehensive strategic partnership more mature, stable and fruitful, and inject more stability and certainty to the region and the wider world.
Mr Albanese thanked President Xi for hosting him in Beijing last year and welcomed the fact that leaders meetings had recommenced between the two countries.
The Prime Minister also took to X to share footage of the two leaders shaking hands and declared how stabilising relations in the interests of both nations.
Dialogue is critical, and weve made encouraging progress. Trade is flowing more freely. And that brings benefits to both countries, and to people and businesses on both sides, Mr Albanese wrote.
Our approach will remain patient, calibrated and deliberate. It is important that we have direct discussions on the issues that matter to us, and to the stability and prosperity of our region.
Anthony Albanese (left) met with Chinas President Xi Jinping (right) on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil
The glowing editorial in the China Daily last Thursday complimented Australia for waking up about the importance of China and praising Mr Albanese for his strategic autonomy.
Australias ties with China deteriorated when the previous Australian government fell under Washingtons anti-China spell, the editorial read.
But Canberra has woken up to the significance of those ties under the Albanese government and set out repairing them.
But Mr Albanese said his government had not changed our position on any of the key differences that we have with China.
Instead, the government had worked to rebuild trade relations to boost Australias economic prosperity and job creation, he said.
We continue to explore opportunities for practical cooperation in areas of shared interest, including on our energy transition and climate change.
Our whole region will benefit from the prosperity that can flow from peace, security and stability in our region.
That is why our direct discussions to build deeper understanding on the issues that matter to us are so important.
Anthony Albanese and his fiancee Jodie Haydon (pictured) arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night local time
President Xi hopes to get countries such as Australia on his side amid the potential of a tariff war with the US once Donald Trump becomes the American president again in January.
Mr Albanese will have to be careful not to upset either China or the US as the world waits to see if Mr Trump will do exactly as he has vowed or if there will be some room for manoeuvre.
Under the watch of the Labor government since May 2022, China has lifted bans on almost $20billion worth of Australian products, which had been imposed under the previous Coalition administration under Mr Morrison.
Addressing a meeting about hunger and poverty in Rio de Janeiro, Mr Albanese risked Chinas ire by condemning its close ally North Korea.
He said the hermit Communist state is sending soldiers to fight in the Ukraine war while its own people starve.
The Prime Minister also urged the other world leaders there not to lose sight of the effect that worldwide economic challenges have on people in their daily lives.
Mr Albanese will also have one-on-one meetings with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in the coming days.
Before flying to Rio de Janeiro for the G20 meeting, he was in Lima, Peru for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
From Lima, Mr Albanese tweeted that More trade means more jobs. Thats what Im promoting here at APEC and next week at the G20.
