Most Chinese-Australians distrust India compared to rest of population, survey finds

Survey of 1,200 people also reveals over a third of Chinese-Australians continue to report being treated differently because of their heritage in 2022

Chinese-Australians are also less likely to see China as a military threat than the rest of Australia, Lowy Institute report says

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Chinese tourists rest near the Harbour Bridge in Sydney. In 2020, 65 per cent of Chinese-Australians felt connected to China, but that figure declined to 56 per cent in 2022. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:00am, 20 Apr 2023Updated: 5:50am, 20 Apr 2023

A new survey has shown that Chinese-Australians’ trust in China and India diverged from the general Australian population, with most Chinese-Australians trusting China to act responsibly, contrary to the general Australian view.

Conversely, a majority of Australians trust India but most Chinese-Australians do not, according to the Lowy Institute’s annual “Being Chinese in Australia” survey for 2022. India is the least trusted country among Chinese-Australians in this survey.

Slightly more Chinese-Australians trust Russia to do the right thing globally than India at 37 per cent, compared with 5 per cent of the broader Australian population.

Australia has been courting India as a trading partner and ally amid lukewarm relations with China, although it has copped criticism over its continued decision not to publicly call out India’s refusal to condemn Russia and its human rights abuse with its Muslim diaspora.

In turn, China and India have had skirmishes over border disputes.

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