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Better at managing Trump and XiBetter at managing Trump and Xi
Foreign policy does not often figure heavily in Australian federal election campaigns. However, global disruptions in 2025 focused public attention on Australia’s relationships with its main security ally, the United States under President Donald Trump, and main trading partner, China under President Xi Jinping.
In March, Australians were almost evenly split on whether Peter Dutton (35%) or Anthony Albanese (34%) would be better as prime minister at managing Australia’s relationship with the United States and Donald Trump.
By contrast, Anthony Albanese (45%) enjoyed a 20-point lead over Peter Dutton (25%) in Australians’ confidence in him to manage the relationship with China and Xi Jinping.
About the author
Ryan Neelam
Ryan Neelam was Director of the Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program at the Lowy Institute. He led the flagship annual Lowy Institute Poll, was project director for the Global Diplomacy Index, and wrote about climate diplomacy and multilateral policy.
