Taiwan Announces Closure of Its Representative Office in Papua New Guinea: All Staff Withdrawn, Aid Ended and LNG Purchases Stopped
TAIPEI — Taiwan's foreign affairs authorities announced on the evening of November 6 that they would close Taiwan's representative office in Papua New Guinea on their own initiative, withdraw all stationed personnel, terminate all technical cooperation and aid programs in the country, stop buying Papua New Guinean liquefied natural gas on the spot market, and sign no new spot purchase contracts.
The announcement followed months of dispute. Papua New Guinea's government unilaterally announced in July that Taiwan's representative office would be closed immediately; Taiwan responded by suspending spot-market LNG purchases from Papua New Guinea while keeping the office operating and talks going. The Papua New Guinea government recently renewed its demand that the office's personnel leave by a deadline. Taiwan's foreign affairs authorities said the move had seriously undermined the trust built through years of cooperation, and accused China of continually using political pressure and economic influence to interfere in other countries' decisions and squeeze Taiwan's international space.
The aid being ended includes technical and medical missions, scholarships and personnel training programs; the authorities said existing projects would be wound down properly and personnel safety and rights protected. According to Reuters, Taiwan had planned to buy about 500,000 tonnes of Papua New Guinean LNG in the first half of 2026, and Taiwan previously accounted for about a third of the country's LNG exports.
Papua New Guinea's Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko said in July that closing Taiwan's office was a step reaffirming his country's one-China policy and strengthening trust with Beijing.
(Source: Reuters)
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：巴布亚新几内亚首都 Port Moresby 航拍（资料图）。CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Aerial view of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (file photo). CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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