Australians support a resumption of dialogue with Beijing and are shifting back toward viewing China as more of an economic partner than a security threat, a new survey showed, after relations collapsed in 2020.
Some 56% of respondents reckon renewed ministerial contacts with China is very or somewhat positive for Australia’s national interest, a Lowy Institute poll showed. Those seeing China as a danger fell 11 points to 52%, while those who see it as an economic partner rose by the same amount to 44%.
The survey of 2,077 adults was conducted between March 14-26 and had a margin of error of 2.2%, according to Lowy, a Sydney-based policy think tank.
Ties with China, Australia’s biggest trading partner, have steadily warmed since the election of the center-left Labor government in May 2022. Beijing has lifted some restrictions on Australian goods and top-level meetings between foreign, trade and defense ministers have taken place after an extended hiatus.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is also expected to visit Beijing before the end of this year.
Still, the chill in ties persists with Australians, according to the survey, which showed trust, confidence and warmth toward China and President Xi Jinping remains low. Five years ago, more than half of Australians trusted Beijing to act responsibly in the world, while now that figure is only 15%.
Anxiety about a possible war between the US and China is elevated, with more than half of respondents saying Australia should stay neutral in such an event.
“But in a conflict over Taiwan, Australians are less ambivalent about acting in concert with the US — even if this means sending military supplies to the government in Taipei or deploying the Royal Australian Navy to help prevent China from imposing a blockade around Taiwan,” said Michael Fullilove, executive director at the Lowy Institute.
Even so, a majority of respondents said they wouldn’t support any Australian troop deployments to Taiwan in the event of an invasion by China.
In March, Australia announced it would purchase a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines from the US as part of the Aukus security agreement that also includes the UK, at a potential cost of more than A$360 billion ($245 billion).
The Lowy Institute survey found 49% of Australians said the Aukus agreement would make the country safer, and 67% supported the government’s decision to acquire the nuclear submarines.
However, a large number of those surveyed baulked at the price tag, with 47% saying it wasn’t worth it, and 20% saying they believe the new fleet would make military conflict more likely in the Asia-Pacific region.
Trust in the US fell four points to 61% from 2022, the poll showed, but is still 10 points higher than in 2020, the final year of the Trump administration.
Australians have the highest levels of confidence in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at 72%, while confidence in US President Joe Biden remained steady at 59%.
Echoing the decline in Australians’ trust in China in recent years, confidence in President Xi remains low at 11%. The only leaders in whom Australians have less confidence are Russian President Vladimir Putin at 7% and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at 3%.
(Updates with Taiwan troop deployment views.)