62% of Australians Value Ties with China, but 71% See China as a Threat, Pol...

TMTPOST--A recent poll conducted by the University of Technology Sydney’s Australia-China Relations Institute (UTS-ACRI) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has revealed nuanced views among Australians regarding their country's relationship with China. The findings underscore a blend of desire for strong economic ties, concerns over national security, and mixed feelings about government management of these relations.

Six in ten Australians (61%) believe that Australia should continue to build strong connections and maintain a robust relationship with China. This support has remained stable since the first UTS-ACRI/BIDA Poll four years ago, despite fluctuating political tensions.

Concerns about Australia’s relationship with China remain high but have shown a steady decline over the past four years. In 2024, 64% of Australians expressed concerns, a notable decrease from the peak of 74% in 2021.

A majority of Australians (62%) continue to recognize the economic benefits of maintaining a healthy relationship with China. This sentiment has remained relatively steady over the years, with only a slight dip in 2022 (58%).

A significant majority of Australians (71%) express mistrust of the Chinese government, a sentiment that has stayed consistently high—over 70%—for the past four years. However, this year’s figure is slightly down from the high of 76% in 2021.

Public satisfaction with the Australian government’s management of China relations remains stable. Four in ten Australians (40%) are satisfied with the Albanese government’s handling of the issue, similar to that in 2023 (39%). This marks a slight improvement from the Morrison government’s ratings, which saw 34% satisfaction in 2022 and 32% in 2021.

Nearly six in ten Australians support the government taking a tougher stance on China. This sentiment has seen a resurgence, increasing from a low of 55% in 2023 to nearly 60% this year, after peaking at 63% in 2021.

Nearly eight in ten Australians (79%) believe that improving Australia-China relations is a shared responsibility between both nations. This view has remained consistent since 2021. However, more Australians (48%) feel that China bears more responsibility for this improvement than Australia, compared with 31% of Australians who think Australia is more responsible.

Despite overall pessimism about short- to medium-term prospects for improvement in bilateral relations, optimism has been gradually increasing. This year, 33% of Australians believe that relations will improve over the next three years, a six-percentage rise from the low of 27% in 2021.