Australians remains distrustful of China despite the improvement in relations between the two countries over the past two years, new research today shows.
The continuing wariness about Beijing’s intentions was one finding of the Lowy Institute think tank’s annual survey of Australians’ attitudes towards international affairs.
The results for this year revealed public attitudes in Australia towards China have only marginally warmed since the Albanese government took power in 2022.
From the 2028 Australians surveyed in March by the institute, 53 per cent said they regarded China as more of a security threat than an economic partner, a similar result to last year.
The research also found 71 per cent said it was either “somewhat” or “very” likely that China would become a military threat to Australia in the next 20 years.
But Australians are divided on how the federal government should respond to China’s growing assertiveness, according to the survey.
Fifty-one per cent feel Australia should concentrate on stabilising Canberra-Beijing relations, while 45 per cent indicated it should place more emphasis on deterring it from using military power.
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The high level of wariness towards the emerging superpower comes after a warming in relations between Australia and Australia over the past two years.
Lowy Institute executive director Michael Fullilove said the attitude of Australians towards China had only marginally improved this year.
“Australians’ trust towards China, while improving slightly, remains strikingly low,” he said.
“Threat perceptions remain high: seven in ten Australians consider it likely that China will pose a military threat to Australia in the future.”
The survey also showed Australians continue to regard their country’s relationship with the US as pivotal, but with reservations about its leadership.
Of those surveyed, 83 per cent said the Canberra-Washington alliance with the US was vital to Australia’s security and 63 per cent believed it made Australia safer from a Chinese attack.
But trust in US President Joe Biden had slumped 13 points to a new low of 46 per cent.
Australians still regard him as a safer pair of hands in the White House than Republican rival and former president Donald Trump.
Only 29 per cent of those canvassed preferred Trump to win this year’s US election, while 68 per cent want to see Biden re-elected.