Two surveys, conducted separately in Australia and China, show that deteriorating bilateral ties between Beijing and Canberra are negatively impacting public sentiment towards the other.
According to the annual poll conducted by the Lowy Institute in Sydney, 94 per cent of Australians want Canberra to look for other markets to reduce its economic dependence on China, while fewer than a quarter of respondents trusted China to act responsibly in the world – down from 52 per cent in 2018
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It's not just in Australia. Just about every other country has the same issue with China - a lack of trust.It's a missed opportunity by the Chinese. They could've provided a more reasoned approach to counter the Trump bellicosity. But they matched and sometimes surpassed him.The diplomatic approach by China is an interesting one as recounted by former Australian PM, Malcolm Turnbull, after meeting with Premier Li Keqiang. Below is a quote from the PM's book where he compares the Chinese approach to that of Athens towards Melos:"Justice is only found between equals in power, as to the rest the strong do as they will and the weak suffer as they must."He maintains that this aggressive diplomatic approach has proven a failure globally and more so since the pandemic. The Soviet's had a similar but slightly more nuanced approach.ADDED: An Aussie mate has lived in China for forty years, married to a Chinese, doing business there. Tells me he’s never felt so uncomfortable. Even feeling danger. There have been some innocents from Canada and Australia banged up in Chinese prisons in retaliation for measures taken against China. Hostages. He fears that. He’s not a paranoiac. Worrying times. I put a lot of it down to Xi Jinping. He has form.
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