Australians think China already dominates Asia – more than the Chinese even believe it themselves.

While we're mildly worried about Beijing's influence, we don't entirely appreciate the US's role in our region either and we think they're yesterday's man anyway. We take a surprisingly neutral view of this shift.

Some 69 per cent of Australians believe China has the most influence in Asia today. Credit:iStock

At the same time, we're relaxed about where it's all headed, believing war between the US and China is improbable.

It's all in a sobering set of survey results that point to the success of Chinese soft power diplomacy here in Australia, according to Simon Jackman, chief executive of Sydney University's US Studies Centre, which carried out the survey.