In Australia and China, public trust in each other nosedives amid spat: surveys

Most Australians want to be less economically dependent on China, while Chinese respondents are uncertain that ties will improve

The surveys, conducted separately, show deteriorating bilateral ties are having a negative impact on sentiment towards the other country

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The surveys come amid heightening tensions between Australia and China. Photo: EPA

Published: 9:15pm, 24 Jun 2020Updated: 9:43pm, 25 Jun 2020

Two surveys, conducted separately in Australia and China, show that deteriorating bilateral ties between Beijing and Canberra are negatively impacting public sentiment towards the other.

According to the annual poll conducted by the Lowy Institute in Sydney, 94 per cent of Australians want Canberra to look for other markets to reduce its economic dependence on China, while fewer than a quarter of respondents trusted China to act responsibly in the world – down from 52 per cent in 2018.

In reference to the response on economic dependence, the think tank said in a report accompanying the findings: “This is the single largest point of agreement in the history of the Lowy Institute Poll. In 2019, 74 per cent of Australians said Australia was too economically dependent on China.”

While about 52 per cent had expressed confidence in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ability to handle global affairs two years ago, the figure fell to 22 per cent of the 2,448 Australian adults polled between March 16-29 this year.

A survey done for the first time by Australian Studies Centre of the Beijing Foreign Studies University and the Global Times Research Centre, also released on Tuesday, found similarly downbeat sentiments expressed by 2,105 Chinese respondents towards Australia.

The survey – conducted in April and June in 10 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao and Wuhan – found that most Chinese respondents were “not optimistic” or “uncertain” about improving Sino-Australian relations.

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Almost half of those surveyed (49.5 per cent) said the US was the “biggest irritant or obstacle” in Beijing-Canberra ties, while 32.5 per cent and 13.7 per cent attributed the frayed relations to “ideological differences” and “internal politics within Australia” respectively.