“The new Australian government will find support for more defense spending, tough policies towards China and Russia and a stronger commitment to our region and the world stage.”
As Chinese President Xi Jinping has become authoritarian and has tried to pressure Australia with a series of trade sanctions, attacks on Communist Party media or by Foreign Ministry officials and a ban on contact ministerial has recently ended, Australian attitudes towards China have hardened drastically since 2017..
This year’s Lowy poll found that 75% of Australians now view China as a likely military threat, compared to 46% in 2018.
When China duchyed the Pacific nations for security agreements, especially the Solomon Islands, 88% of people expressed alarm at the prospect of a Chinese military base in the region.
Despite China’s status as Australia’s largest trading partner, only 33% of Australians see China more as an economic partner, compared to 63% who consider it more of a military threat.
By 2020, 55 percent believed China was more of an economic partner.
Eighty-seven per cent of Australians do not trust China to act responsibly in world affairs, surpassed only by Russia with 94 per cent. In comparison, 87% of people believe that Japan and the UK will act responsibly, and 65% the US.
Consideration by Mr. Xi has plummeted, and 82% of respondents say they did not trust him to do the right thing globally. Eleven percent said they did trust him, a halving by 2020.
Only Russian President Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un have less esteem.
Alarm over the invasion of Ukraine by Russia has led to a number of questions. Nearly nine out of 10 people say they are concerned about China-Russia cooperation, while 92% say the invasion is worrying.
Just over 50 per cent say Australia should increase spending on defense, while its membership in AUKUS and the Quad also made the country safer. Support for the US alliance is on record, although Joe Biden’s position has fallen to the Australians.
The unrest is fueling insecurity, with only 53 percent saying they felt safe, a 17-point drop from 2021.