Trust in Beijing falls as fears surge: poll

Australians’ trust in China and its leader has plunged to record lows amid a surge in fears Beijing poses a threat to national security.

Australians’ trust in China and its leader Xi Jinping has plunged to record lows amid a surge in fears the Asian superpower poses a threat to national security.

Just 16 per cent of respondents to the latest Lowy Institute Poll said they had faith in Australia’s biggest trading partner to act responsibly in the world – down seven points in just 12 months, and 36 points since 2018.

Only one in 10 expressed confidence in Mr Xi to “do the right thing” in international affairs – a 12-point fall since last year.

The annual poll, in its 17th year, revealed more Australians than ever (63 per cent) believed China was “more of a security threat”, while only 34 per cent said China was “more of an economic partner” to Australia.

After a year of punitive Chinese tariffs on more than $20bn in Australian exports, 56 per cent of respondents said China was more to blame than Australia for tensions in the bilateral relationship.

“The sharp decline that we’ve seen in views of China is unprecedented, both in terms of the intensity and the speed at which they have fallen,” Lowy Institute public opinion and foreign policy program director Natasha Kassam said.

“Australian attitudes towards China have been on a downward trajectory since 2017. That very much mirrors the decline in the bilateral relationship.

“Much of this negativity comes I think from increasing awareness of some of China’s behaviour, such as the crackdown in Hong Kong, its detention of Uighurs in Xinjiang and the disappearance of Australian citizens in China.

“But in the past year what has really shifted is the number of Australians who now see China’s economic growth as a negative.”

As Australians’ views on China soured, their perceptions of the US under President Joe Biden surged. Nearly 70 per cent of respondents said they had confidence in Mr Biden to “do the right thing” in the world, in a dramatic turnaround from last year when just 30 per cent had confidence in Donald Trump.

Nearly four in five Australians said the ANZUS alliance was important to national security, while 75 per cent said the US would come to Australia’s defence if the nation came under threat.

More than half of respondents to the survey, taken a month after Department of Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo warned the “drums of war” were beating, said a US-China conflict over Taiwan presented a “critical threat” to Australia’s national interests.

But a clear majority (57 per cent) said Australia should remain neutral if a military conflict arose between the superpowers.

Six in 10 of the survey’s 2222 respondents said “cyber attacks from other countries” were a critical threat, while 49 per cent nominated foreign interference in Australian politics as an equivalent risk.

Ms Kassam said it was clear China’s aggressive foreign policy had “hardened the resolve of Australian politicians and the public”.