Taiwan shuts Papua New Guinea office, cuts all aid and halts LNG purchases

Less than four months after Papua New Guinea's government announced the closure of Taiwan's mission in Port Moresby, Taipei's Foreign Ministry has confirmed the termination of "all technical cooperation and aid programs in Papua New Guinea".

"The government of Papua New Guinea recently renewed its unilateral demands for personnel of the Taipei Economic Office in Port Moresby to leave the country within a specified timeframe and for the mission to be shut down," Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

"In consideration of national dignity, diplomatic autonomy, and overall national interests, and following a comprehensive assessment, the ROC (Taiwan) government has made the decision to close the office, withdraw all stationed personnel, and conduct a full review and adjustment of bilateral ties."

It comes after PNG's Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko made the announcement in July that Prime Minister Marape's government had made the decision to honour and uphold the One-China Policy.

"The physical presence of Chinese Taipei will no longer be recognised or required within the jurisdiction of Papua New Guinea," a PNG government statement said at the time.

Taiwan had established its representative office POrt Moresby in February 1990.

The move was welcomed by Beijing but Taiwan stated that it was blindsided by the decision and would reassess its economic ties with Papua New Guinea.

Taiwan had consistently given PNG "concrete support over the years in such areas as the economy, agriculture, health care, and talent development", the Taipei Foreign Ministry statement read.

It said Taipei's assistance had significantly contributed to public wellbeing and the national development of PNG.

"Regrettably, the foundation of mutual trust, established through long-term bilateral collaboration, has been seriously undermined by the recent actions of the government of Papua New Guinea.

"The situation also reflects China's continued use of political pressure and economic influence to interfere in the diplomatic decisions of other nations and suppress Taiwan's international participation."

Taiwan suspends buying PNG's liquefied natural gas

Taiwan has also confirmed that it has completely stopped buying liquefied natural gas (LNG) from PNG.

"The projected spot volume procurement for the first half of 2026 was approximately 500,000 tons. No new spot contracts will be signed with Papua New Guinea. Taiwan has long been a key market for Papua New Guinea's natural gas, accounting for roughly one-third of total LNG exports," the Foreign Ministry statement said.

"The change will inevitably have a substantial impact on Papua New Guinea's natural gas exports and foreign exchange earnings."

The statement added that Taipei's energy supply would not be affected by the suspension of spot LNG purchases from Papua New Guinea.