Key Points
- Mr Morrison warned against economic disruption that would come from a war over Taiwan.
- Just 15 per cent of Australians surveyed trust China, and only 11 per cent have confidence in Xi Jinping.
- More than six in 10 Australians see the prospect of a military conflict between the United States and China over Taiwan as a critical threat.
Former prime minister Scott Morrison has warned a invading Taiwan would dwarf the conflict in Ukraine.
His comments came as the showed Australians remain wary of conflict in the region.
Mr Morrison said the economic disruption caused by a war over Taiwan would be hard to conceive and would make COVID-19 look like a "headache".
"In terms of the geostrategic economic implications of what would occur in Taiwan versus Ukraine? Well, it's a factor of 50," he told UK media during a visit to London.
Australia's relationship with China is thawing, so why is trust still so low?
Tensions between Australia and China have eased since the Albanese government was elected. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
But the Asian nation and its president Xi Jinping continue to wallow at the bottom of Australians' lists of trusted leaders and superpowers, despite a majority believing China acted responsibly in the world five years ago.
Just 15 per cent of Australians surveyed trust China, and only 11 per cent have confidence in Mr Jinping.
Lowy Institute director Michael Fullilove believes Australians' sharply declining perceptions of China have levelled out as the relationship between the two countries stabilised.
"The Australia–China relationship after several years in the freezer," he said.
In light of the new government toning down its hawkish rhetoric, which led to the lifting of timber and coal import restrictions by the Chinese side, the percentage of Australians who see China as more of an economic partner has increased.
After being burnt by $20 billion worth of trade sanctions on Australian industries by Chinese officials, 70 per cent of Australians want leaders to seek out trade deals with "friendly" nations even if it means higher prices.
A slight majority still perceive China as a security threat compared to an economic partner, however, with the threat perception dropping 11 points from 63 per cent a year ago.
The poll revealed a "sober optimism" in Australians' outlook on the world after years of global turmoil, with more people feeling safer and hopeful of the future, Mr Fullilove said.
"But there has been no return to factory settings."
More than six in 10 Australians see the prospect of a military conflict between the United States and China as a critical threat as tensions have risen in recent years.
While wholly supportive of the US alliance, Australians are weary that being part of the pact would draw the nation into war in Asia.
In the event of , 56 per cent of respondents say Australia should remain neutral despite eight in 10 seeing the alliance as important to Australia's own security.
Australians would also favour a hands-off approach should China invade Taiwan, with 80 per cent supporting accepting Taiwanese refugees and three quarters being in favour of slapping economic and diplomatic sanctions.
A lesser majority would support sending military supplies or using the navy to prevent China from imposing a blockade around Taiwan, but Australians were against sending troops to help defend the island from a Chinese incursion.
Australians have expressed little appetite for war involvement in the region if conflict broke out, the Lowy Institute's Ryan Neelam said.
"The ball is in Beijing's court after a campaign of economic coercion and diplomatic pressure that ultimately damaged China's own image in Australia."
In a rubber stamping of the prime minister's work on the international stage, 83 per cent of Australians have approved of his job handling foreign policy — the highest score out of the past five leaders.
Cyber attacks a 'critical threat' to Australia
Australians consider cyber attacks from foreign countries as the most pressing international concern after a series of during the past nine months, according to the Lowy Institute's polling.
About seven in 10 people identified the issue as a "critical threat" to the nation in the next decade.
UNSW Institute for Cyber Security deputy director Rob Nicholls attributes the sudden interest in cyber attacks to three major cases within the past six months — , , and Latitude Financial.
"Suddenly, cyber security is actually something which affects the majority of adult Australians," Mr Nicholls told AAP.
The attacks on the three companies resulted in more than 28 million personal accounts accessed by hackers and data stolen.
The cyber security expert said attacks on critical infrastructure, which have generally arisen from Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, have put the issue on the radar for people.
"These breaches have individuals thinking they seem to be happening all over the place and they weren't happening before," he said.
Governments and businesses have scrambled to fortify themselves and their security systems with Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil establishing a national cyber office and pledging in February to rewrite Australia's security laws.
The threat will change from something businesses and governments sort of need to deal with to becoming more front of mind, Mr Nicholls said, with the issue of cybersecurity being discussed in the top 20 ASX-listed companies' boardrooms more than any other topic.
But he believes the problem will get worse before it gets better as it becomes easier for bad actors to get involved in malicious activity.
"It's sort of a 'whack-a-mole' type situation that we know where we are now but both the defensive countermeasures ... and the attacks themselves are changing quite quickly," Mr Nicholls said.
He is heartened by the fact the issue was brought up at all, saying it provides grounds for optimism that individuals at home will do something about cybersecurity and expect their employers to do more.
The result comes as perceptions of other threats, including COVID-19 and Russian and Chinese foreign policies, have receded.
