Australians are equally distrustful of both U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, according to a new survey, complicating Canberra¡¯s task of managing ties with its key security ally and biggest trading partner.
A new survey released by the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney showed that 72% of respondents said they didn¡¯t trust Trump to act responsibly in global affairs, just edging out the 71% who said they didn¡¯t trust China¡¯s Xi. When asked whether Trump or Xi would be a better partner for Australia, the two leaders were tied at 45% apiece.
The results come as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attends a Group of Seven meeting in Canada, where he could hold his first face-to-face meeting with the U.S. president. Albanese will be hoping to negotiate an exemption on U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs for Australia, as well as trying to secure Trump¡¯s support for AUKUS following the announcement in Washington of a review of the security accord.
Albanese¡¯s balancing act with Trump is a difficult one. Australians¡¯ faith in the U.S. has deteriorated following the president¡¯s return to the White House. Trust in America as a global player has fallen to just 36%, by far the lowest result in the Lowy survey¡¯s 20-year history.
Yet despite an aversion to Trump, Australians aren¡¯t ready to move away from the U.S. as the nation¡¯s primary security partner. The survey showed consistent support for the U.S. alliance, with 80% of respondents saying the U.S. was important for Australia¡¯s security.
Meanwhile, attitudes toward China have slightly improved, although Beijing is generally considered less reliable than the U.S. across most metrics.
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