flyingpig

An opinion poll in Australia showed Tuesday that the feelings of Australians toward China were cooling, while the nation remained divided over whether the government has allowed too much Chinese investment in the country.


Given the choice of 17 countries, more than 1,000 participants who were telephoned said China measured a lukewarm 53 degrees on a zero-to-100 scale, a drop of 3 degrees from last year and 8 degrees from 2006.


The annual poll, conducted by the Sydney-based Lowy Institute for International Policy from July 13-25 this year, also revealed that 50 percent said the government was allowing too much investment from China. The poll also said that elder Australians and women were more likely to choose "too much," as only 36 percent of those aged 18 to 36 agreed with that assertion.


On China's rising power, 95 percent of Australians were overwhelmingly convinced that China already is or will become the leading power in Asia, while in 2008 that figure stood at only 86 percent.


In dealing with China's rise, 91 percent wanted the government to pursue friendly cooperation and engagement with China, while about half of the polled were in favor of trying to limit China's influence.


On China as a military threat, a majority of Australians said it is very or somewhat unlikely that China will become a military threat to Australia in the next 20 years.


Li Youwen, a professor at the Australian Center of Beijing Foreign Studies University, said the ambiguity probably reflects the common attitude of most Australians toward China. "On one hand, they believe that Australia is becoming more reliant on China; on the other hand, it shows their anxiety about the growing reliance."


The poll was designed to reflect opinions of all Australians 18 years and older and across all geographic regions, the poll report said.


Global Times