China Perspective
Experts say Sino-Australian sourness temporary
By Peng Kuang in Beijing and Reuters in Canberra (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-14 08:00
A poll released yesterday showed that Australian attitudes to China are cooling, but Chinese experts said the response only reflects short-term changes.
The fifth annual "Australia and the World" poll by Sydney-based Lowy Institute for International Policy found half of Australians believed the government had allowed too much Chinese investment, and almost half the population in favor of limiting China's influence.
"The poll is a dynamic reflection on public opinions," said Su Hao, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, "the happenings in real world certainly affect the opinions, but not always reflect the essentials."
Relations between China and Australia have been strained in recent months by political opposition to China's efforts to buy key stakes in Australian commodities and resources firms and the arrest of an Australian mining executive in China.
When Australians were asked to rank their feelings towards China they registered a "lukewarm" 53 degrees, compared with 56 degrees in 2008 and 2007, and 61 degrees in 2006, said the Lowy poll.
This compared with Australian feelings towards neighboring New Zealand at 83 degrees and towards the US at 67.
"US takes the most important part in Australia's diplomatic policy, but it doesn't mean they should occupy the same position in the poll," said Guo Chunmei, a scholar with the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.
The poll also found that 40 percent of Australians viewed the development of China as a world power as a critical threat to Australia's vital interests, up 15 points since 2006, and while a majority of 57 percent said it was unlikely that China would become a military threat to Australia in the next 20 years.
Fifty-nine percent of Australians trust China is a country that acts responsibly in the world, almost matching the 60 percent in 2006.
"The trend is worth paying attention to, due to the domestic recognition of China in Australia," Su said.
"The problems between the countries are brought by changes in overall circumstances, but all these are still at a technical level. China and Australia are in a steady, long-term relationship."
Australia was one of the first countries to formally recognize China in 1972. China is now Australia's second-largest trading partner, with two-way trade last year worth $53 billion. But relations have been tense after Chinese state-owned metals firm Chinalco failed in a $19.5 billion bid for a stake in Rio and the arrest of four employees of Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto on suspicion of corporate espionage.
A decision by Australia's government in July to grant a visa for an exiled Uyghur separatist further soured ties.
Some 91 percent of Australians said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's government should undertake friendly cooperation and engagement with China, but 46 percent said the Australian government should actively work to limit China's power.
(China Daily 10/14/2009 page11)
