China-Australia Illustration: Deng Zijun/GT

To improve China-Australia relations, the ball is in Australia's court,a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday. 

The spokesperson Zhao Lijian added that he hopes the Australian government will seriously consider whether to regard China as a partner or a threat, and do more things conducive to mutual trust and cooperation. 

Since the second half of 2017, China-Australia relations have encountered serious difficulties. The root cause is that Australia violated  laws and norms governing international relations, grossly interfered in China's internal affairs, harmed China's interests and imposed unjustified restrictions on bilateral exchanges and cooperation, Zhao said  at  a routine press conference.

"The responsibility lies entirely with Australia," Zhao said. 

Zhao's remarks came after a recent survey showed that trust in China has plunged to new lows in Australia, with only 16 percent of interviewees saying they trust Beijing to act responsibly in the world. 

The survey results are contained in the Lowy Institute's 2021 poll of Australian attitudes to the world, with more than 2,200 Australians surveyed in March, according to the ABC News. 

Frances Adamson, secretary of Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said recently that China is gripped by insecurity, Reuters reported on Wednesday. 

In response, Zhao said that the institute's survey was based solely on interviews with some 2,000 people, and its conclusions were questionable. 

The claims made by the Australian officials were completely untrue, said the spokesman.

Zhao said that he hopes that that the Australian people from all walks of life will keep their eyes open, view China and China's development objectively, resist the slander and smear against China by some people in Australia and understand and support the cause of China-Australia cooperation.

Global Times