Understanding why public sentiment on Beijing has soured

An annual temperature check of Australian attitudes ‘towards the world around us’ has marked a shift in the public mood towards Beijing, with confidence in the Chinese president as a responsible world leader dropping by 33 points since 2018.

The Lowy Institute’s 2021 poll found that only 10% of Australians surveyed had ‘a lot’ or ‘some’ confidence in Chinese president Xi Jinping to ‘do the right thing regarding world affairs’. Only a year ago the Chinese leader achieved double that figure for public confidence with 22% of Australians agreeing Xi would be responsible on the international stage.

Natasha Kassam, director of the Lowy Institute’s public opinion and foreign policy program, is a former Australian diplomat who lived and worked in Beijing for five years.