TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan is looking at its imports of liquefied natural gas from Papua New Guinea following the country’s decision to close down the Taiwanese representative office, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said Saturday.
Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkachenko announced Thursday that the Taipei Economic Office would stop operating immediately. Taiwan received the support of the US State Department after rejecting the unilateral decision.
Commenting to reporters Saturday, Lin said Taiwan will look at the procurement of LNG from Papua New Guinea before taking necessary measures, the Liberty Times reported.
Even though officials claim there are no economic links between the two countries, Taiwan imported one third of Papua New Guinea’s LNG, Lin said. The total amounted to 1.2 million metric tons per year, representing a significant part of the country’s income, according to the foreign minister.
Lin said that opinions inside Papua New Guinea about the decision were divided, per the Liberty Times. The country started a review of its ties with Taipei last year, but the process had not been completed yet, he added.
Chinese political pressure and economic intimidation were responsible for the measure, but Taiwan would continue to seek contacts with Papua New Guinea, according to Lin.
