The U.S. Department of State seal in Washington is shown in an undated photo. Photo: Reuters
'Deeply concerned': Taiwan is a reliable partner and Beijing threatens global peace and prosperity in its campaign of intimidation, an official said on Saturday.
/ Reporter, with CNA
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The U.S. government expressed concern about Papua New Guinea's closure of the Taiwan Representative Office under pressure from the Papua New Guinean government, calling the incident another example of Beijing's intimidation against Taiwan.
"We are deeply concerned by reports that the government of Papua New Guinea has unilaterally ordered the closure of the Taipei Economic Office in Port Moresby," a U.S. State Department spokesman said on Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"Taiwan is a reliable, like-minded and democratic partner whose relationships around the world bring significant benefits to the country's citizens, including in Papua New Guinea," the spokesman said.
"This is yet another example of Beijing's pressure campaign on Taiwan and its supporters around the world, which undermines countries' sovereign decisions to align themselves with Taiwan and threatens international peace and prosperity," the spokesman added.
The U.S. State Department made the remarks in response to a request for comment on Taiwan's decision on Friday to close its representative office in Papua New Guinea. The office was established in 1990, although the two countries have no formal diplomatic relations.
The decision comes after the PNG government renewed unilateral demands for personnel at the Taipei Economic Office in Port Moresby to leave the country and close the office, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
"In consideration of national dignity, diplomatic autonomy and overall national interests, and after a comprehensive evaluation, the government of the Republic of China [Taiwan] decided to close the office, withdraw all overseas personnel, and conduct a comprehensive review and adjustment of bilateral relations," the ministry said in a statement issued on Friday.
The dispute began on July 16, when PNG Foreign Minister Justin Takatenko announced that his government had ordered the immediate closure of Taiwan's representative office in the country, citing PNG's insistence on the "one China" policy.
Taiwan immediately lodged a formal protest with the PNG government but insisted that its representative office remained open despite the unilateral announcement.
Taiwan also suspended purchases of spot LNG from PNG in July in response to PNG's plan to close its representative office.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that China has long used political coercion, economic inducements and diplomatic pressure to force other countries to accept its political propositions while seeking to limit Taiwan's international presence.
The ministry said the PNG government's decision is another example of Beijing using political and economic leverage to interfere in other countries' foreign policy decisions, undermining international trust and fairness, and urged the international community to recognize China's efforts to isolate Taiwan on the global stage.
Additional reporting by Weili Fang
News source: Taipei Times
