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China-Australia relations
ChinaDiplomacy

Australians remain wary of China as spectre of Asia-Pacific conflict looms: survey

  • According to Sydney-based think tank, 17 per cent of Australians trust China to act responsibly – up slightly from a low of 12 per cent in 2022
  • Nearly three-quarters of respondents say Beijing is likely to become a military threat to Canberra in the next two decades

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Australian sentiment towards China is still far below pre-pandemic levels, when one in two adults in the country trusted Beijing. Photo: Reuters
Cyril Ip
Australians’ trust in China has risen slightly as the two countries have re-engaged diplomatically, but potential conflict in the South China Sea looms as a concern, according to a new poll by an independent Sydney think tank.
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Out of the 2,028 Australian adults polled by the Lowy Institute, 17 per cent trusted China “somewhat” or “a great deal” to act responsibly in the world. This is an increase from a record low of 12 per cent in 2022, but remains a long way from pre-pandemic levels, when one in two Australians trusted China.

For the fourth year in a row, Japan topped the list of global powers Australians trusted most, followed by France, Britain and the United States. Australians’ trust in China ranked just above Russia.

Twelve per cent of Australians said they were confident in Chinese President Xi Jinping to “do the right thing regarding world affairs”, ranking him ahead of the Russian and North Korean leaders.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the most trusted leader of a major power, earning the confidence of 65 per cent of respondents, followed by Japan’s Fumio Kishida and France’s Emmanuel Macron.

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The think tank collected responses over two weeks in March and published the annual report on Sunday.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang is scheduled to visit Australia in late June. His trip, which follows a five-day visit by Foreign Minister Wang Yi in March, is likely to consolidate improving economic relations between Beijing and Canberra, with expectations for an unofficial three-year ban on Australian live lobsters to be lifted.
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