China: Australian diplomat's words "inconsistent" with facts

Frances Adamson, Secretary of Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said during a speech in Canberra on Wednesday that China is "dogged by insecurity as much as driven by ambition".

Adamson's speech came just hours after a widely watched poll showed Australians' trust in China has plunged and for the first time more people view Beijing as a security threat than a economic partner.

The Lowy Institute's annual poll shows more than 60% of Australians see China as a security threat, up significantly from 2018 when 18% of respondents had the same view.