Taiwan to shut Papua New Guinea office, halt spot LNG purchases

Taiwan's foreign ministry said on November 6 that Taiwan had decided to shut its representative office in Port Moresby and stop buying liquefied natural gas from Papua New Guinea on the spot market, blaming Chinese pressure. The ministry said Papua New Guinea, which briefly had diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1999, had repeated previous demands that staff leave the office within a set deadline and had pushed for its closure.

The ministry said Papua New Guinea's 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." Neither the Papua New Guinea nor Chinese foreign ministries immediately responded to requests for comment, Reuters reported.

In July, Papua New Guinea's foreign minister said the country had decided to close Taiwan's representative office immediately, a move that drew praise from China and concern from Washington. The office had remained open in the interim.

Taiwan's foreign ministry said spot LNG purchases from Papua New Guinea in the first half of 2026 had been planned at about 500,000 metric tons, and that Taiwan will not sign new spot natural gas contracts with the country. It said Taiwan's purchases accounted for roughly a third of Papua New Guinea's total LNG exports, adding that the procurement change will have a substantive impact on the country's natural gas exports and foreign exchange earnings.

Taiwan has formal diplomatic ties with three Pacific Island nations, Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands, and a representative office in Fiji. Twelve countries maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.