China
Over the past 15 years of Lowy Institute polling, Australians have expressed a complex range of attitudes towards China. Australians’ views about China’s economy, culture and people have generally been positive. And discussion about China – Australia’s largest trading partner – has often focused on the economic benefits of the bilateral relationship. On the other hand, issues such as Chinese investment, China’s human rights record and its system of government elicit strongly negative views.
Trust in major powers
Attitudes towards China
Chinese investment
Use of Australian military forces
2018: Economic partner or military threat
2018: China as a military threat
Between 2010 and 2018, a significant proportion of the Australian population consistently said China would be a potential military threat to Australia in the future. In 2018, 46% of Australians said it was likely that ‘China will become a military threat to Australia in the next 20 years’.