Papua New Guinea pressures Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry to announce embassy closure

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Papua New Guinea announced in July that it would “immediately close the Taiwan representative office in Papua New Guinea and cease operations” on the basis of the “one-China policy”. Recently, it has stepped up its efforts to require Taiwanese personnel stationed in Papua New Guinea to leave the country within a deadline. After months of unsuccessful negotiations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China announced today that, on the grounds of national dignity, Taiwan’s diplomatic independence and overall national interests and after a comprehensive review, it has decided to voluntarily close its representative office in Papua New Guinea, withdraw all deployed personnel, and conduct a comprehensive review and adjustment of bilateral cooperation relations.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the Papua New Guinea government recently once again unilaterally asked the personnel of Taiwan Economic and Trade Office in Port Moresby to leave the country within a deadline and promoted the closure of the Taiwan Consulate.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan has been adhering to the spirit of mutual benefit and assistance in development for many years, and has continued to provide substantial assistance to Papua New Guinea in the fields of economy, agriculture, medical and health care and talent cultivation, while contributing to the local people’s well-being and national development; However, a series of recent actions by the Papua New Guinea government have seriously affected the foundation of mutual trust established by long-term cooperation between the two sides, and also reflects China’s continued use of political pressure and economic influence to interfere in other countries’ diplomatic decision-making and suppress Taiwan’s international space. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that all countries should have the right to freely decide on ways of exchange and cooperation with Taiwan, and should not be subject to political coercion and manipulation by third parties.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that since the foundation of bilateral cooperation and mutual trust has been destroyed, the Taiwan government has decided to immediately withdraw all personnel stationed there, cease operations there, and comprehensively end various technical cooperation and assistance programs provided to Papua New Guinea, including technical missions, medical mission services, and related scholarship and talent cultivation programs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will properly handle follow-up matters of existing cooperation plans and ensure the safety and rights of relevant personnel, demonstrating Taiwan’s determination to safeguard diplomatic independence and overall national interests.

In terms of energy and economic and trade cooperation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Taiwan has stopped purchasing Papua New Guinea liquefied natural gas (LNG) through the spot market. The original planned spot purchase volume in the first half of 2026 is about 500,000 metric tons, and it will no longer sign new natural gas spot purchase contracts with Papua New Guinea in the future.

Taiwan has long been an important market for PNG’s natural gas exports. Taiwan’s purchases account for about a third of PNG’s total LNG exports. This adjustment in procurement policy is set to have a substantial impact on PNG’s natural gas exports and foreign exchange earnings. On the other hand, Taiwan has completed the assessment of domestic natural gas supply and demand and adjusted purchase allocation, and has found alternative gas sources to ensure stable and sufficient domestic energy supply. It will not be affected by the suspension of spot natural gas purchases from Papua New Guinea or the adjustment of bilateral diplomatic relations. This fully demonstrates Taiwan’s energy supply diversification and independent dispatch capabilities, and safeguards national energy security and overall interests.

The Ministry of External Affairs reiterated that Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign and independent country and is not affiliated with the People’s Republic of China. The people of Taiwan have the right to freely determine the country’s future and participate on an equal footing in the international community. China has long used political pressure, economic inducements, and diplomatic pressure to force countries to accept its unilateral political proposals, thereby limiting Taiwan’s space for international activities. The PNG government’s decision once again highlights China’s use of political and economic means to interfere in the independent foreign policy decisions of other countries and undermine the principles of international mutual trust and impartiality.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on the international community to confront the continued expansion of China’s political influence and suppression of Taiwan’s international participation, and jointly safeguard the rules-based international order, universally shared democratic values, and the right of all countries to independently determine foreign policies. Taiwan will not back down from China’s oppression, nor will it accept political pressure from any country to deny Taiwan’s sovereign status and international participation rights, nor will it waste limited diplomatic resources on relations that do not have the basis of mutual trust and cooperation. Taiwan will continue to uphold the principles of pragmatism, reciprocity and mutual benefit, deepen partnerships with friendly countries, and actively expand exchanges with countries with similar ideals and other areas with cooperation potential. It will invest resources in diplomatic work that can deliver concrete results and is consistent with the country’s overall interests, and will continue to enhance Taiwan’s international visibility and significant contributions.