Trump deal a blueprint for Aussie minerals sales boost

Anthony Albanese says Australia has what others want and is ready to strike deals on critical minerals with more than the US.

The prime minister also had another “informal” meeting with Xi Jinping, but did not confirm whether defense tensions with the Chinese president had increased.

One of Mr Albanese’s goals at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea was to use Australia’s huge reserves of critical minerals and rare earths in deals with more countries in the region.

The prime minister, who signed a historic $8.5 billion deal with US President Donald Trump last week, wants to continue the mining momentum to revive the domestic economy.

“What we did with the United States was a framework,” Mr. Albanese said on Friday.

“Australia has these products, critical minerals and rare earths, that are in demand globally.

“We see this not only as an opportunity between Australia and the United States, but also as an opportunity for Australian jobs and Australian economic growth.”

While Mr Albanese confirmed that he had met with President Xi, he did not say whether diplomatic events in the South China Sea were mentioned after they came up in talks with Prime Minister Li Qiang earlier in the week.

“I don’t go beyond private discussions and come here and discuss these things, because you can’t make diplomatic progress that way,” the prime minister told reporters.

“It was an informal discussion with President Xi.”

Mr Albanese also did not address the controversy surrounding Australia’s head of state and whether the King had made the right decision to strip Prince Andrew of his royal titles.

“I think His Majesty King Charles can make decisions without the benefit of my advice,” he said.