Illustration:Tang Tengfei/GT

Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott, also regarded by some Chinese analysts as the "Australian version of Mike Pompeo," has acted as a "vanguard" of the US, pathetically becoming Washington's cannon fodder and a tool taken advantage of by Taiwan secessionists. Abbott made a series of clownish attacks against the Chinese mainland during his visit to the island of Taiwan, which was harshly criticized by the Chinese embassy in Australia. 

"Tony Abbott is a failed and pitiful politician. His recent despicable and insane performance in Taiwan fully exposed his hideous anti-China features. This will only further discredit him," said the spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Australia on Saturday.

Abbott arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday. During his visit, he wantonly criticized China's "belligerence" and "crackdown" in Hong Kong and Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Abbott sensationally raised fears that Beijing "could lash out disastrously very soon" against Taiwan, accusing the Chinese mainland of being a "bully" and expressing his support for Taiwan secessionists. Trying to instigate Washington, he also said he did not believe the US "could stand by" and watch Taiwan be "swallowed up" by the Chinese mainland.

"Abbott is like an Australian version of Mike Pompeo. His words are one of the most ferocious and outrageous attacks against Beijing by Australian politicians since the establishment of China-Australia diplomatic relations. Abbott is a representative of the extreme right, trying to interfere in China's political system and other internal affairs. But now, his scheme has obviously failed," Chen Hong, a professor and director of the Australian Studies Centre, East China Normal University, told the Global Times.

Abbott's all-out attack against the Chinese mainland was not extensively echoed inside Australia. For example, The Sydney Morning Herald commented on Friday that "Abbott's comments will put the Morrison government in a difficult position." In recent years, Canberra has brought a lot of damage to China-Australia relations. As the two countries' ties have already reached a low point, Abbott was adding fuel to the flames. It will be Australia itself that suffers eventually.

Besides, a few proactive speeches against Beijing will never help the island of Taiwan end its "international isolation" as Abbott claimed. Nor will they bring any actual support to Taiwan secessionists. Just the opposite, Abbott's visit shows that Taiwan secessionists have almost come to the end of their rope. To a large extent, they can only take advantage of such former politicians who cannot represent mainstream political strategy in their own countries.

Although Abbott clamored that he did not believe the US "could stand by" on the Taiwan question, he cannot change the fact that extreme Australian anti-China forces are in an awkward dilemma. They have closely followed Washington's suit to oppose Beijing, but Washington may never fulfill their wish at the expense of a complete breakdown of China-US relations.

This year marks the 110th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution, whose historical mission was to end the thousands-years-long absolute monarchy, establish a republic and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The Kuomintang reactionaries were eventually given up by people, defeated in the Chinese mainland and retreated to Taiwan. But today, Taiwan's ruling interest groups have abandoned the primal purpose of the revolution, turning to external forces to confront the mainland. 

It is pitiful and ridiculous that former Australian prime minister has become an anti-China vanguard used by Taiwan secessionists. One after another, Taiwan has lost its "allies," which shows that China's complete reunification is an unstoppable trend. Extreme politicians like Abbott and their positions will be eventually abandoned by history.