Taiwan has stopped buying spot-market liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Papua New Guinea after the country unilaterally announced the closure of Taiwan’s representative office earlier this month, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, July 28.

At a regular press briefing in Taipei, the ministry’s Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Director-general Michael Lin (林昭宏) said the purchases were halted within a week of receiving notice from the Papua New Guinean government. Taiwan “does not accept Papua New Guinea’s unilateral decision,” he said.

Lin said Taiwan “strongly protests” the decision, accusing Papua New Guinea’s foreign minister of bypassing the civil service’s decision-making system and issuing the announcement without prior consultation.

He added that CPC Corporation, Taiwan’s state-owned oil and gas supplier, had ensured Taiwan’s gas supplies would remain secure and could make purchases from other countries.

Taiwan will continue providing medical referrals, agricultural assistance, and scholarships for now, but will review those programs based on Papua New Guinea’s response, Lin said, adding that Taiwan’s representative office in the country remains open.