Taiwan to close representative office in Papua New Guinea, blames China

Taiwan says it is closing its representative office in Papua New Guinea and will stop buying liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the country, blaming Chinese political pressure on the South Pacific nation. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that Papua New Guinea had repeated previous demands that staff leave its office in the capital, Port Moresby, within a set deadline and had pushed for ⁠its closure. These 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”, it said in a statement.