Taipei:Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has attributed Papua New Guinea's (PNG) recent decision to expel Taiwanese diplomats to pressure from China. The move comes after PNG's Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko initially demanded the closure of Taiwan's representative office in adherence to the "one-China" policy.

According to Focus Taiwan, PNG first raised the issue on July 16, agreeing to give Taiwan a year's notice to close its office. However, on November 6, PNG reversed its stance, instructing Taiwanese diplomats to leave within seven days. This abrupt decision followed a recent visit by a high-level PNG delegation to China and precedes PNG Prime Minister James Marape's planned visit to China for the APEC summit.

Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi suggested that PNG's decision might have been influenced by China's economic incentives, including an offer to increase imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from PNG. This offer followed Taiwan's decision to stop purchasing LNG from PNG after the expulsion demand.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded by announcing the closure of the Taiwan Economic Office in PNG and the withdrawal of diplomatic personnel. The ministry is also reviewing Taiwan's diplomatic relations with PNG, emphasizing national dignity and diplomatic autonomy. PNG, as a diplomatic ally of China, does not permit dual diplomatic relations with Taiwan.