THE Papua New Guinea Government has announced the immediate cessation of operations and the physical presence of the Chinese Taipei Economic Office in the country.
The directive comes 36-years after the office was first set up in 1990 as the Trade Mission of the Republic of China (on Taiwan) in Papua New Guinea. PNG renamed the office in 2018 due to pressure from Beijing, and closed its own Taiwan trade office in 2023.
PNG Foreign Affairs Minister, Justin Tkatchenko released a statement saying that the action was in accordance with NEC decision No.144/2026, stating that the physical presence of the Chinese Taipei office will no longer be recognized or required under the jurisdiction of Papua New Guinea.
Tkatchenko said this decision was communicated to the Chinese Ambassador in Port Moresby, Yang Xianguang, before a formal statement was released on the government decision to close the Taipei Office located in Port Moresby.
“The National Government views this administrative alignment as a necessary step toward deepening state to state trust, reinforcing the shared values and elevating the bilateral relationship between Papua New Guinea and the People’s Republic of China,” said Tkatchenko.
The statement from Tkatchenko’s office said Papua New Guinea deeply values its long-standing, strong partnership with China and the Marape-Rosso Government will look forward to exploring new avenues of strategic cooperation, expanded trade and economic development that will benefit both countries.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), in an official response to InsidePNG News, said the move by the PNG government was made without prior consultation with China, prompting Taiwan to lodge a strong protest and continue engaging with PNG through diplomatic channels.
MOFA added that Taiwan does not accept PNG’s unilateral decision, further stating that the representative office would remain open, safeguard Taiwan’s rights and interests, and provide necessary services to Taiwanese citizens in accordance with relevant regulations.
MOFA has since contacted like-minded countries to garner international attention and support and convened a contingency meeting to work with relevant ministries to review bilateral and trade relations between Taiwan and PNG. According to the ministry, this is to consider necessary and appropriate measures to safeguard Taiwan’s overall interests and dignity.