Australians' Trust In China Plummets Amid Rifts

Australians' trust in China has collapsed, according to a public opinion poll on Wednesday that showed the impact of rising confrontations between the two trading partners.

A survey from Sydney's Lowy Institute showed the number of Australians who trust Beijing to act responsibly on the world stage fell from 52 percent in 2018 to a record low of 23 percent today.

Diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Canberra have worsened since Australia called for an international inquiry into the source and spread of the new coronavirus, which first emerged in Wuhan.

Recent months have seen China slap trade sanctions on Australian goods, sentence an Australian citizen to death and mock Canberra's long-standing alliance with the United States.

"Trust in our largest trading partner – China – has declined precipitously," Lowy director Michael Fullilove said in announcing the survey results.

"Confidence in China's leader Xi Jinping, has fallen even further."

Ninety-four percent of respondents said they would like to see Australia reduce economic dependence on China and 82 percent backed sanctions on Chinese officials linked to human rights abuses.

China accounts for around a quarter of all Australian trade, according to official statistics – with Australian minerals helping build China's heavy industry and fuel power generation. (AFP, Reuters)