Anthony Albanese looks increasingly unlikely to detail his government's new emissions target ahead of the next federal election, resisting calls to follow other world leaders in setting a 2035 target.

The prime minister has just completed his final day in Lima, Peru, where he has been meeting with the leaders of Pacific-rim nations for the APEC summit.

He has used the forum as a chance to talk up Australia's potential to be a renewable energy super-power that is rich in the resources needed to drive the green economy.

But speaking with the ABC's Insiders program, Mr Albanese refused to commit to announcing the 2035 target ahead of the election, only promising to do it "sometime next year".

"Our focus is on achieving the 2030 target because 2030 comes before 2035," he said.

"[Voters] do know exactly what we're doing — 43 per cent by 2030, a target of net zero by 2050, 82 per cent renewables by 2030.

"You not only know what we're going to do but how we're going to get there."

Tackling climate change has been a key focus of the talks in Lima and is slated to be high on the agenda when Mr Albanese meets with the leaders of the world's largest economies for a two-day G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the coming days.

British Prime Minister Keir Stamer this week committed his government to cutting emissions by 81 per cent by 2035, insisting it could be achieved without telling people how to live their lives.

Under the Paris Climate Accords, Australia too is expected to set a 2035 target next year.

PM backs Kevin Rudd as Australia's ambassador to US

Mr Albanese also strongly strongly backed Kevin Rudd's performance as Australia's ambassador to the United States, promising to keep him in the role regardless of the perspective of the incoming Trump administration.

"Kevin Rudd has been doing a terrific job as ambassador … [and] has been working with people across the political spectrum," Mr Albanese told ABC's Insiders on Saturday.

He dismissed the suggestion that Mr Rudd should apologise for calling US president-elect Donald Trump a "village idiot" in the past, one of several comments to have resurfaced since Mr Trump's election.

"All of the comments that have been raised were prior to his appointment … We're focused on the future and I'm sure President Trump will be as well," Mr Albanese said.

In a Sky News interview, the PM said the matter was not raised during his first call with the president-elect, which he added ran for 10 minutes and was "a very good beginning to our relationship".

Mr Albanese declined to comment on the threat to Mr Rudd's tenure made by Dan Scavino, Trump's incoming deputy chief of staff, who juxtaposed one of the ambassador's social media posts with an image of a dwindling hourglass.

"I'm not going to comment on someone I don't know and have never had a discussion with," the prime minister said.

Asked on Insiders whether Mr Rudd would stay in his role "no matter what", Mr Albanese replied: "Yeah, he's Australia's appointment. And it says something about the importance of the United States that we have appointed a former prime minister. That's a sign of how seriously we take this relationship."

PM says Australia could benefit from US climate inaction

Donald Trump has loomed large over the APEC summit, having pledged to tear up Democrat Joe Biden's signature climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act.

Mr Albanese told the ABC that could create opportunities for Australia.

"There's a first-mover advantage," he said.

"When there is a change, sometimes an opportunity comes as well.

"One of the things we've seen is considerable capital flow to the United States as a direct result of the policies that have been in place.

"Now, if those policies change, then obviously the economics change [in terms of] investment and incentives and attractiveness."

Analysts this week predicted that if Trump followed through with his plan, it could see $80 billion in investment opportunities flow to other countries.

When pressed on what exactly Australia could pick up from a US withdrawal from climate targets and green manufacturing, Mr Albanese said he would not pre-empt that.

PM optimistic Australia could escape Trump tariffs

Chinese President Xi Jinping snubbed APEC leaders on the first day of the talks in Lima, instead opting to meet with other leaders individually.

He did attend an evening gala and the second day of meetings with leaders.

Mr Albanese is expected to meet with Mr Xi on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Rio.

Trump's return to the White House next year will be a key factor in discussions among world leaders at the G20 as nations jockey to fill the void US isolation could create on the world stage.

Leaders too are seeking to ring-fence their economies amid fears Trump will follow through on his threat to impose a 60 per cent tariff on Chinese imports and up to 20 per cent on other nations.

Mr Albanese told the ABC that he did not directly ask Trump, when they spoke on the phone last week, for Australia to be exempt from those tariffs.

"I pointed out, though, to President Trump that the United States has a trade surplus with Australia. It's had that trade surplus since Truman was president," he said.

"So both the United States and Australia benefit from the trade between our two countries.

"He said we're going to have a perfect friendship and I'm very confident that the relationship with the United States will stay strong."