Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has accused China of being a bully and expressed enthusiastic support for Taiwan while visiting the democratically ruled island.
FILE - In this Oct. 7, 2021, file photo, former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott wears a mask with the Chinese character for "Australia" during a meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Taiwan. Abbott accused China of being a bully and expressed enthusiastic support for Taiwan while visiting the democratically ruled island. “Nothing is more pressing right now than solidarity with Taiwan," Abbott told a conference Friday, Oct.
China’s government has been seeking to isolate Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory. It has stepped up military harassment of the island by flying fighter jets towards Taiwan, with a particularly large demonstration of force starting last Friday and continuing into this week. Abbott said that two years ago, he hesitated to attend the meeting, called the Yushan Forum, for fear of provoking Beijing.Things have changed since then, he said, with Beijing tightening controls over Hong Kong and “weaponizing” trade against Australia.
“Be a friend, and you’ll have friends, be a bully and you’ll only have clients who can’t wait to escape,” Abbott said.Abbott said the most important thing is to ensure Taiwan’s self-determination; Chinese leaders have said they are determined to unite the island and the mainland, by force if necessary.
Abbott is the first of three prime ministers who have led Australia’s conservative coalition government since it was first elected in 2013. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday that Abbott had flown to Taiwan as a private citizen and took no message from the current government.
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