Taiwan closes Papua New Guinea office
The closure follows Chinese pressure and includes a halt to new natural gas contracts.
By Oliver Bennett ·
Taiwan announced on Friday that it will close its representative office in Papua New Guinea and cease new spot purchases of liquefied natural gas from the South Pacific nation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs attributed the move to political pressure from China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory.
The ministry stated that Port Moresby had repeatedly demanded that Taiwanese staff leave the office by a specific deadline and pressed for a full shutdown. Taipei rejected the initial move in July, keeping the office open during the interim period.
The department described the actions as China using economic influence to interfere in diplomatic decisions and restrict Taiwan's international presence. Papua New Guinea maintains formal ties with Beijing but had previously allowed Taiwan to operate a representative office in the capital.
The energy sector plays a major role in the dispute. Taiwanese purchases previously accounted for one-third of Papua New Guinea's exports. Last year, Taiwan imported approximately eight percent of its natural gas from the country.
Taipei will also reduce technical cooperation, including medical missions and scholarship programs. The ministry said it would stop signing new spot purchase contracts for LNG, extending a previous halt on spot purchases.
Taiwan currently holds formal diplomatic relations with only three Pacific island nations: Palau, Tuvalu, and the Marshall Islands. It also operates a representative office in Fiji. Twelve countries worldwide maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
