The change in the Chinese Australian relationship in 2020.
Only 23% of Australians now trust China to act responsibly in the world. This is down from 52% in 2018.
Those figures are from the annual Lowy Institute Poll, which tracks Australian views on foreign policy. They also state that confidence in China’s President, Xi Jinping, ability to handle global affairs os now down to 22%, almost half of the rating in 2018.
Trade between Australia and China.
The Chinese market took more than 38% of Australian exports in 2019, up from about 22% a decade before.
Japan, South Korea, UK and USA were the next 4 markets.
The downturn in relations between China and Australia became a crisis in April, when Australia asked China to allow investigators into Wuhan to probe the origins of the novel coronavirus. This rattled China’s pride and caused China to retaliate against Australia.
In April, Cheng Jingye, the Chinese ambassador to Australia, said that Chinese consumers might choose to boycott Australian exports to China because of strained relations.
China placed large tariffs on Australia’s barley exports and halted beef imports from some of Australias meat exporters.
Coincidence? or was the Chinese ambassador to Australia correct in his statement of retaliation.
Many Australians (More than 90% of respondents in the Lowy poll) want Australia to widen its export market, and not be too reliant on any one country.