Melbourne's Chinatown in Australia hosted an all-day celebration marking the Spring Festival on the second day of the Chinese New Year, local time on February 11, 2024. Photo: VCG

A recent poll in Australia shows that more than half of Australians now consider relations with China more important than those with the US. The poll also found that 61 percent of Australians see China more as an economic partner than a security threat.

A Chinese observer said the outcome of the poll indicates that the shift does not reflect Australian society choosing sides between China and the US; rather, it shows that economic realities are outweighing security narratives in public perceptions of China.

A 2026 Lowy Institute poll, released on Monday, found that 61 percent of Australians see China more as an economic partner than a security threat, an 11-point increase from 2025, marking one of the largest swings in sentiment in this year's survey. Support for the bilateral trade relationship is accordingly strong, with a significant majority of Australians saying "we should be trading with China 'more' or at 'about the same' level as we are now (77 percent)," according to the poll.  

The 2026 Lowy Institute Poll reports the results of a nationally representative survey of 2,013 Australian residents aged 18 and above, conducted from March 2 to 15, 2026 by the Social Research Centre (SRC) on behalf of the Lowy Institute, according to the PDF version of the poll. The poll reveals how Australians feel about the world and their place in it, and it was released on Monday, according to the Lowy Institute's website. 

In terms of which country's relationship should be Australia's priority, Australians appear to be fairly divided. A bare majority of respondents (51 percent) said Australia's relationship with China is more important than its relationship with the US, an eight-point increase from 2025. By comparison, 45 percent said Australia's relationship with the US is more important, a seven-point drop from 2025, the poll showed. 

Chen Hong, Director of the Country and Region Studies Institute at the School of Foreign Languages, East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that as Australia's most important trading partner, China supports incomes and jobs across key sectors, including resources, agriculture, education and tourism. Australians are increasingly aware that while the US remains a security ally, military commitments cannot replace markets or generate export orders.

The stabilization of China-Australia relations has also reminded Australian businesses and the public of the tangible benefits of steady engagement, Chen said. Meanwhile, the US is increasingly becoming a source of uncertainty. The poll therefore reflects a pragmatic recognition that Australia cannot sustain its prosperity without China.

When asked about the relationship between the US and China, the poll showed that a clear majority (64 percent) said the US should place a greater priority on stabilizing ties with China.

Australia has benefited under the US security umbrella while benefitting from China's industrialization, according to Bloomberg. And according to the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website, China is Australia's largest trading partner. It buys almost a third of all Australian exports, and is the top overseas market for many Australian goods and services. Trade and investment with China is a big part of Australia's future. 

The poll found that public confidence in the US' ability to act responsibly has fallen to historic lows among respondents. According to the poll, although Australians are wary of both the US and China and place relatively low levels of trust in both countries, trust in the US to act responsibly in the world has fallen to 31 percent, the lowest level in the history of Lowy Institute polling. 

The decline in Australians' trust in the US could be linked to the perception that, under the current US administration, the US has become less of a stable and predictable ally and more of a transactional power focused on its own interests. Tariffs on partners, conditional security commitments, and abrupt policy shifts have all contributed to this view, Chen said.