More Australians see China as partner than as threat

Australians see China as more of an economic partner than a military threat and regard the likelihood of any military conflict between the US and the world’s second largest economy as slim, a new poll shows.

77 per cent of Australians view China as ‘more of an economic partner’ compared to only 15 per cent who see it as "more of a military threat", the 2015 Lowy Institute Poll found.

Only 39 per cent of the population believe it likely that "China will become a military threat to Australia in the next 20 years" -- 9 points lower than in the 2014 poll.

But 61 per cent of Australians still believe that "China’s aim is to dominate Asia" and 66 per cent think "Australia should do more to resist China’s military aggression in our region, even if this affects our economic relationship".

A majority of Australians are wary of China’s growing power, with 56 per cent disagreeing with the notion that "having China as an important global power makes the world more stable".

Despite the guardedness, few Australians see any immediate conflict with China as likely. Only 20 per cent see military conflict between the United States and China as a high risk. Just 39 per cent think China will become a military threat to Australia in the next 20 years.

Furthermore, maritime disputes between China and its neighbours in Asian territorial seas are seen as high risk by only 26 per cent of Australians.

Overwhelmingly, Australians believe that Canberra should remain neutral in the event of a military conflict between China and Japan. 84 per cent think Australia should remain neutral, 11 per cent say Australia should support Japan, and only 3 per cent say Australia should side with China.

That result echoes a poll in January by UTS's Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI) which found that 71 per cent of Australians think Australia should remain neutral in any armed conflict between Japan and China over disputed islands in the East China Sea.

But overall, Australians have an increasingly warm view towards the world’s second largest economy. A large majority of Australians (67 per cent) agree that "China’s aim is to create a better life for the Chinese people".

That view changes closer to home, with a solid majority of 70 per cent saying the government allows too much investment in Australian residential real estate from the country.

The 2015 Lowy Institute Poll is based on a telephone survey of 1,200 Australian adults between February 20 and March 8 2015, together with four supplementary polls by Newspoll in February, April and May 2015, each with samples of over 1,200 adults.