Taiwan rejects Papua New Guinea move to close Taipei office

Taiwan said Thursday it rejects Papua New Guinea's decision to shut down Taiwan's representative office in Port Moresby, while China welcomed the move.

Taiwan's foreign ministry said it strongly protested the decision, saying it was made without prior consultation. The ministry said Taiwan's representative office in Papua New Guinea would continue to operate normally and would safeguard Taiwan's interests and provide services to Taiwanese nationals in line with relevant regulations.

Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko posted a statement from his office on Facebook on Thursday announcing the immediate cessation of operations and formal closure of the Taipei Economic Office. The statement was dated July 15 and said the decision reflected Papua New Guinea's commitment to its One-China Policy.

Speaking to AFP, Tkatchenko said Taipei had been told of the decision weeks ago. He also said the move did not affect commercial contracts between Taiwan's CPC Corporation and Papua New Guinea's liquefied natural gas exporter, PNG LNG.

China's foreign ministry said it highly appreciated Papua New Guinea's decision. Spokesman Lin Jian said China was ready to keep supporting Papua New Guinea on issues concerning what he called each country's core interests and to advance the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Taiwan's foreign ministry said it had contacted like-minded countries to seek international attention and support and was considering appropriate response measures.

The report said Papua New Guinea has formal diplomatic relations with China but had allowed Taiwan to have a representative office in Port Moresby. It also said China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes the self-governed island's participation in international organisations and exchanges with other countries.