Taiwanese officials have reported saying they were blindsided by the decision.
The Taipei Times reports that Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry convened a meeting to discuss potential responses.
A spokesperson for the ministry said these include reviewing Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchases from PNG.
They said Taiwan’s imports of about 1.2 million tonnes of LNG annually account for about a third of PNG’s LNG exports and are a major source of revenue for the country.
Last week, PNG’s foreign minister Justin Tkatchenko said the decision to end Taiwan’s representation in PNG was consistent with PNG’s One China policy.
Tkatchenko told RNZ Pacific the announcement was a formality for a decision made some time ago. However Taiwan said the move had not been discussed in advance with it.
The announcement was welcomed by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a spokesperson for whom said that the government “highly commends” PNG’s decision.
Meanwhile, the US Department of State said Washington was “deeply concerned” by PNG’s decision and called it part of Beijing’s intimidation campaign.
