A split between Australia and the US on key policies will be on display at an economic forum of world leaders, experts say, with Anthony Albanese deciding not to fly out to meet Donald Trump labelled a “bad move”.

The prime minister will attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Brazil off the back of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima.

While pushing Australia as a major power in food security and a reliable global supplier of energy, Albanese says the implications of the US president-elect’s victory forms a “backdrop” for both summits.

Trump has suggested tariffs on imports between 10-20 per cent and up to 60 per cent on Chinese goods.

Anthony Albanese says Trump’s win forms a backdrop for APEC and G20. Photo: AAP

The prime minister has placed “free and fair trade” at the forefront of his discussions, and despite vowing to try to secure exemptions from tariffs for Australian products, he will not fly to the US to meet with Trump.

In a growing rift from the US on Israel, Australia backed a United Nations resolution recognising Palestinians sovereignty over resources in the occupied Palestinian territories.

UNSW Professor Peter Swan questioned the impact on the relationship with Washington, with Mr Albanese being “so out of step” with the US on resolving the conflict in the Middle East and energy and climate policies.

“We’re further and further away from the US, just at the strategic time where when our ability to defend ourselves probably at the lowest point ever … so we’re choosing the worst possible time to be very offensive towards the US,” he told AAP.

Prof Swan said the uncertainty created by Mr Trump was part of his bargaining strategy, to dangle bad outcomes in front of his opponents in a bid to get a better deal.

He said it was a “very bad move” from the prime minister to not seek out a meeting at the earliest opportunity after having criticised him.

Economics Professor Richard Holden said with the election of Mr Trump, the G20 would be a bit of a “fizzer” with current US President Joe Biden a “lame duck”.

“These meetings are always a little bit of a talk fest but it seems likely to be even more so this time and there’s important things there,” he said.

“President-elect Trump’s shadow will be cast over the whole thing.”

Aus-China revival

The prime minister says Australia has revived its trade relationship with China without compromising any of its national interests.

Anthony Albanese fielded questions from journalists at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders summit in Peru on Saturday following an editorial in a prominent Beijing mouthpiece praising the Australian leader’s “strategic autonomy” in ensuring the countries’ ties “are in both parties’ interests”.

He insisted he would balance Australia’s relationship with China and the US under a second Trump administration while noting the nation’s relationship with the Pacific “has never been stronger”.

“We’re in a period of strategic competition,” Albanese told reporters.

Asked whether he agreed with the China Daily’s assessment of him being a model for other leaders to emulate when balancing relations with Beijing and the US, Albanese said he was “not a commentator” but would continue to engage in Australia’s national interest.

“What I’ve done with China is work in the way that we said we would before the election,” he told those gathered on the sidelines.

“We said we would co-operate where we can, we would disagree where we must, and we would engage in our national interests.

“I’ve done that without compromising any of Australia’s national interests.”

Pivoting to Australia’s “very different” relationship with the US, Mr Albanese noted the nation’s “different political system(s) and different values”.

“We will point that out where it’s appropriate, but we will also try to co-operate where we can,” he said.

“That is in Australia’s national interests.

“It’s (also) in Australia’s national interest to support and continue to engage with our allies in the United States.”

Albanese reminded other international leaders he continued to be a strong supporter of AUKUS.

“I have engaged with my party to ensure that that support is ongoing (and) I’ve been prepared to have the debate and have the arguments and to succeed in ensuring that we go forward with that,” he said.

“At the same time, I believe as a trading nation we have an interest in trade, and we have an interest in Australian jobs being created and boosting Australian prosperity by engaging in our region – including with our major trading partner, the major destination for our exports, which is China.”

Although Albanese did not talk to President Xi during any of the closed summits he praised the enormous opportunity for trade between the APEC partners.

“This is the fastest growing region in the world in human history,” he said.

“There’s an increase in our export to China (and) we’ve done that without compromising any of Australia’s values, by being clear about what our views are.”

Albanese previously met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on the sidelines of the summit in Lima in an attempt to promote and bolster Australia’s trade interests.

UN climate appeal to G20 leaders

The UN’s climate chief has called on leaders of the world’s biggest economies to send a signal of support for global climate finance efforts when they meet in Rio de Janeiro.

The plea, made in a letter to G20 leaders from UN Framework Convention on Climate Change executive secretary Simon Stiell, comes as negotiators at the COP29 conference in Baku struggle in their negotiations for a deal intended to scale up money to address the worsening impacts of global warming.

“Next week’s (G20) summit must send crystal-clear global signals,” Stiell said in the letter released on Saturday.

He said the signal should support an increase in grants and loans, along with debt relief, so vulnerable countries “are not hamstrung by debt servicing costs that make bolder climate actions all but impossible”.

Business leaders echoed Stiell’s plea, saying they were concerned about the “lack of progress and focus in Baku”.

“We call on governments, led by the G20, to meet the moment and deliver the policies for an accelerated shift from fossil fuels to a clean energy future, to unlock the essential private sector investment needed,” said a coalition of business groups, including the We Mean Business Coalition, United Nations Global Compact and the Brazilian Council for Sustainable Development, in a separate letter.

—AAP