The Abbott government says it will be disappointed if US President Barack Obama cancels his plans to visit Asia next week.
Mr Obama has already cancelled visits to Malaysia and the Philippines because of the US government shutdown.
At this stage he still plans to attend the APEC leaders meeting in Bali and the East Asia Summit in Brunei. But that leg may also be cancelled if the shutdown drags on.
This would mean Prime Minister Tony Abbott's first face-to-face meeting with Mr Obama since winning office would have to be postponed.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop hopes it doesn't come to that.
"That would be very disappointing," she told AAP on Thursday.
"At the end of the day it's his call - it's obviously a crucial time in the United States, so it's understandable. But clearly we want to encourage the United States to continue its rebalancing towards Asia."
Ms Bishop met with Mr Obama during her recent visit to New York for United Nations leaders week.
"He did say he was looking forward to meeting up with Tony as soon as possible," she said.
Ms Bishop will meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry on APEC's sidelines on Friday or Saturday.
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