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Abbott starts G20 day with bilateral talks

Prime Minister Tony Abbott will kick off the first day of the G20 summit in Brisbane with three bilateral meetings.

ustralian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (L) and Indonesian President Joko Widodo (R) shaking hands prior to the bilateral meeting ahead of the start of G20 in Brisbane
Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Indonesian President Joko Widodo shaking hands prior to the bilateral meeting ahead of the start of G20 in Brisbane (AAP

Trade and infrastructure are on the agenda for Prime Minister Tony Abbott as he kicks off the first day of the Brisbane G20 summit with bilateral meetings.

Mr Abbott will meet with the leaders of Brazil, Spain and Italy before hosting a lunch and launching into formal talks later in the day.

The prime minister had dinner with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Friday night, where they discussed trade and security.

G20 finance ministers will meet on Saturday morning to thrash out a number of outstanding issues before handing the agenda over to leaders.

US President Barack Obama will arrive early morning in Air Force One before delivering a speech on America's leadership in the Asia-Pacific region.

Mr Obama plans to meet Mr Abbott and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss bolstering defence ties, as Russia and China flex their military muscle in the region.

Australia wants the summit to conclude on Sunday with each country spelling out how they will deliver at least two per cent growth by 2018, through structural reforms as well as more spending on infrastructure and lowering trade barriers.


2 min read

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