Politics1 min read

Taiwan to close representative office in Papua New Guinea, blames China

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Papua New Guinea demanded that Taiwanese diplomats leave their Port Moresby office, enforcing a closure decision initially announced in July that Taipei had previously resisted. In response, Taiwan is shuttering its mission and ceasing technical aid, medical missions, scholarships, and talent development programs. The dispute also delivers a major commercial blow, as Taiwan will halt new spot purchases of liquefied natural gas from the Pacific nation.

Key points

  • Papua New Guinea forced the complete shutdown by demanding Taiwanese staff vacate the Por…: Papua New Guinea forced the complete shutdown by demanding Taiwanese staff vacate the Port Moresby post within a set deadline.
  • Taiwan attributes the severed relationship to Beijing using economic and political levera…: Taiwan attributes the severed relationship to Beijing using economic and political leverage to diminish Taipei's global presence.
  • The loss leaves Taiwan with official diplomatic relations with just 12 countries worldwid…: The loss leaves Taiwan with official diplomatic relations with just 12 countries worldwide, including only three South Pacific allies.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Amid the fallout, Taiwan says it will stop purchases of liquefied natural gas from Port Moresby.

Taiwan says it is closing its representative office in Papua New Guinea and will stop buying liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the country, blaming Chinese political pressure on the South Pacific nation.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that Papua New Guinea had repeated previous demands that staff leave its office in the capital, Port Moresby, within a set deadline and had pushed for its closure.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Trump praises US-China friendship at state dinner with Xi Jinping

- list 2 of 3‘Hybrid warfare’: Taiwan drives away 16 Chinese ships

- list 3 of 3Kylian Mbappe loses Chinese sponsors for calling Mao ‘Chinese dictator’

These actions “reflect China’s continued use of political pressure and economic influence to interfere in other countries’ diplomatic decisions and suppress Taiwan’s international space”, it said in a statement.

China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, had welcomed Papua New Guinea’s decision in July to shutter Taiwan’s office in…

Politics