During a high-profile dinner event, former U.S. President Donald Trump praised Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for his impressive work on a $13 billion critical minerals agreement. The two leaders were seen toasting and sharing a table at the Hilton Hotel in Gyeongju, South Korea, coinciding with the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on Wednesday.

This occasion marked their second meeting in just two weeks, with this encounter being notably more amicable. Prime Minister Albanese received commendations from Trump in his welcoming remarks at this exclusive assembly of APEC leaders. Trump expressed, “We had a great meeting a week ago… You’ve done a fantastic job,” adding, “We’re working together on rare earths, but we’re working on a lot of things together.”

The intimate dinner brought together dignitaries from eight nations, under the theme of a “special dinner in honor of President Donald J. Trump.” Hosted by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, the gathering included leaders from Thailand, Singapore, Canada, New Zealand, and Vietnam, alongside Trump and Albanese.

The dinner comes on the eve of a hotly-anticipated meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday. It will be the American and US leaders’ first in-person meeting since Trump resumed office in 2025 and imposed tariffs on countries across the world. The US President said he was optimistic he would reach a deal with the Chinese leader on Thursday and said he believed ‘a lot of problems are going to be solved’. The event came just a week after Australia signed a $13billion critical minerals deal with the US, which Albanese said would take the partnership to the ‘next level’.

The pair inked the agreement at a long-awaited White House meeting, where Trump also threw his support behind the multi-billion dollar AUKUS agreement, stating the submarine deal was ‘full steam ahead’. Meanwhile, US ambassador Kevin Rudd revealed on Monday Australia is pushing for a deal with the US on advanced technologies. The warmth between the two leaders’ has silenced a major line of attack against Albanese, who was previously criticised for failing to land a face-to-face with the US President at successive world events.

Trump also used his South Korea visit to defend his tariff regime, claiming US partners stand to gain from the sanctions. He said the US had entered a ‘golden age’ under his administration and insisted ‘we didn’t use tariffs stupidly’ in a speech on Tuesday. ‘And when America thrives our partners thrive and our alliances thrive… the Indo-Pacific thrives.

‘Around the world we’re signing one trade deal after another to balance our relationships on the basis of reciprocity.’ Trump visited Malaysia and Japan before touching down in South Korea, signing new deals with each country. He revealed he had struck an agreement with South Korea at Wednesday’s dinner.

Albanese visited the UN war memorial cemetery in Busan ahead of the meeting, touring the site with South Korea’s Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kwon Oh-eul and ambassador Suh Jeong-in.