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Three-quarters of Australians believe the country's Navy should follow the United States in challenging Beijing's expanding military activity in the disputed waters of the South China Sea by carrying out so called "freedom-of-navigation" operations, a poll has found.
But underlining the complexity of the relationship with our largest trading partner, respondents to the Lowy Institute annual poll also said China was our "best friend in Asia" (30 per cent) ahead of Japan (25 per cent), and that the relationship with China was now as important as our long-standing alliance with the US (both at 43 per cent).
Lowy's director of polling, Alex Oliver, told Fairfax Media that China's soft power diplomacy push had engendered a "growing familiarity" with Australians, who have long considered China as "very important economically to us".
"But this wariness about China's activities in our region … with China's military build-up in islands in the South China Sea has affected Australian's opinions so much so that 74 per cent are in favour of conducting freedom-of-navigation operations in the region," she told Fairfax Media. "There are definite pluses and minuses to this relationship."
Demographics also played a part in the overall warming Australian attitudes toward China, Ms Oliver said, with 51 per cent of respondents under the age of 45 saying China was the more important relationship, compared to 35 per cent choosing the US. The response was almost exactly the mirror opposite among Australians above 45.
Forty-five per cent of respondents said Australia should "distance itself from the US" if Donald Trump is elected president. A bare majority of 51 per cent said Australia should "remain close with the US" no matter the election outcome.
"We're at some sort of turning point in Australia's relationships in the region," Ms Oliver said. "And with politics in the US going as they are, a Trump presidency, I think, will definitely harm the Australia-US relationship, probably to China's benefit. And if Trump fails in November, then we might get back to a more even keel."
Factors engendering positive attitudes included personal interactions with Chinese people, Chinese culture and history, and the country's economic growth. Negative factors included the one-party system of government, military activities in the region, and its human rights record.
Chinese investment in Australia was the most divisive factor, with 59 per cent saying it had a negative influence on their perception, compared with 37 per cent saying it had a positive influence.
The poll also found strong continuing support for Australia's military action against Islamic State and for building the new fleet of submarines locally, even if it means a higher price tag.
The poll comes as China's relationships in the region are set to be further tested, with a court in The Hague expected to rule soon on The Philippines' challenge to Chinese claims over much of the South China Sea. The ruling could act as a trigger for Australia to take part in freedom-of-navigation operations, which would declare to Beijing the illegitimacy of its claims.
Beijing has compounded regional anger by pushing south towards Indonesia's Natuna Islands, upsetting a nation that has been largely neutral until now. The Indonesian navy fired on a Chinese fishing boat on Friday, prompting claims from Beijing that a fisherman had been injured.
