TIM LESTER: Prime Minister, thank you for speaking with Weekend Sunrise.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Always good to be on the programme, Tim, and from Korea today.

TIM LESTER: Indeed. You had the rare privilege, I guess, of sitting next to a US president at dinner. Most of us don't get that. Describe going to dinner with Donald Trump. What's it like?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's very warm. He's an engaging personality and he's certainly larger than life.

TIM LESTER: Dominating?

PRIME MINISTER: No, he engages. He listens. And I've now had dinner and lunch with, sitting next to the President, in the last couple of weeks. That is in Australia's national interest, for us to engage with our most important defence and security partner. But it's also important that we build the economic relationship between our two countries. And that's the way that I deal with this relationship, and it's going well just as the relationship with other leaders here. I've met with over 20 world leaders in the last week, as well as having eight formal bilateral meetings. And they've been very successful.

TIM LESTER: Prime Minister, a lot of comment about how you have to walk a tightrope between our great trading partner, China, and our great security ally, America, and that is getting tougher and tougher. And it looks like it here. They seem in many respects further apart. Can we go on doing that long term?

PRIME MINISTER: We can engage in a straightforward way. China is a very important economic partner for Australia. The meeting between President Trump and President Xi was a success and both of them are going to go to each other's respective countries next year. That's a good thing.

TIM LESTER: You're optimistic.

PRIME MINISTER: I'm optimistic. Dialogue is always a good thing, because out of dialogue and conversations comes understanding.

TIM LESTER: Prime Minister, thank you for chatting with Weekend Sunrise.

PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Tim.