Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had the best seat in the house next to Donald Trump at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit dinner with the US President praising him for a “fantastic job” on the $13bn critical minerals deal struck last week.

The dinner hosted by South Korean president Lee Jae Myung as part of the APEC summit is the third time Mr Albanese has met Mr Trump in person in the past two months.

The meeting comes just a week after a landmark $13bn agreement between Australia and the US, pledging an immediate pipeline of critical minerals and rare earth elements – materials vital to modern technology.

During his opening remarks, Mr Trump talked up the critical minerals deal.

“We had a great meeting a week ago … You’ve done a fantastic job,” he said to Mr Albanese, pattin

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