Taiwan announced it will close its representative office in Papua New Guinea, saying the decision is a direct result of diplomatic fallout that it attributes to China.
In the same statement, Taiwanese officials said they will also suspend all purchases of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Port Moresby, ending a trade flow that had linked the two economies.
Taiwan maintains a limited network of representative offices around the world because most countries do not officially recognise it as a sovereign state. Papua New Guinea, a Pacific island nation, has been one of the few locations where Taiwan operates such an office to manage economic and cultural ties.
Taiwan’s government blamed Beijing for creating the conditions that led to the closure, reflecting ongoing tensions in which China pressures countries to limit or cut official contacts with the island.
The shutdown of the office and the halt to LNG purchases are expected to reduce Taiwan’s presence and commercial engagement in the region, while underscoring the broader diplomatic challenges the island faces amid China’s growing influence in the Pacific.
<small>Source: Al Jazeera — read the original story there.</small>
