A former Chinese official has threatened Australia and the US with 'Armageddon' if the democratic allies move to protect Taiwan in a military conflict. Victor Gao, who was once communist leader Deng Xiaoping's translator, warned Western powers to stay out of China 's quest to annex the disputed territory, 180km off its coast. The island nation, backed by the US and Japan , broke away from the mainland in 1949 after the civil war. It has democratically-elected leaders and fiercely opposes reunification and the totalitarian rule of Beijing . But President Xi Jinping has repeatedly stated he plans to take…