Papua New Guinean–Taiwanese relations

Papua New Guinea	Taiwan
Diplomatic mission
Papua New Guinea Trade Office in Taiwan	Taipei Economic Office in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea–Taiwan relations refers to thebilateral relations betweenPapua New Guinea (officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, PNG) andTaiwan (Republic of China, ROC). Although PNG recognizes thePeople's Republic of China (PRC) and does not maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the two have engaged intrade, informalcooperation, and representative office exchanges.

Papua New Guinea established relations with the People's Republic of China in 1976^{[citation needed]}, and since then has recognized the PRC under theOne China policy.

However, in July 1999, PNG briefly announced the establishment of formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. On 5 July 1999, then-PNG Foreign MinisterRoy Yaki and Taiwan Foreign MinisterJason Hu signed a communique declaring PNG would become Taiwan’s 29th diplomatic partner.^[1]

Very soon thereafter, PNG's domestic politics shifted: Prime MinisterBill Skate declared his intent to resign, and on 13 July 1999 the Parliament elected Mekere Morauta as new prime minister. Morauta’s government deemed the communique unsigned by the proper seal, and declared that the recognition had never formally taken effect. PNG reaffirmed its One-China policy and denied that its diplomatic alignment had shifted.^[1][2]

Before and after the 1999 episode, Taiwan pursued semi-official or quasi-diplomatic links with PNG:

• In 1989, Taiwan and PNG signed a trade agreement.^[1]
• In 1990, Taiwan established a trade office in Port Moresby.^[1]
• Taiwan engaged in agricultural aid missions, emergency humanitarian assistance in earthquakes or volcanic eruptions in PNG.

These interactions allowed Taiwan to maintain some operational presence and goodwill in PNG despite lack of formal recognition.

Taiwan maintains a presence in Papua New Guinea via theTaipei Economic Office in Papua New Guinea, located in Port Moresby.^[3] The office handles consular affairs, trade relations, medical and technical cooperation, and support for Taiwanese nationals.^[4]

PNG also operated the Papua New Guinea Trade Office in Taiwan (Taipei) beginning in 2015. However, in January 2023, PNG announced closure of its Taiwan trade office, citing long-term financial difficulties and insufficient economic benefit. The office was scheduled to close in April 2023 and be replaced by aPNG Taipei Economic Office inPort Moresby.^[5][6]

PNG's foreign ministry stated the decision was a matter of resource allocation and did not reflect a change in political stance toward Taiwan.^[7][8]

China’s government welcomed PNG's closure decision as consistent with the One-China principle.^[9]

Although lacking formal diplomatic ties, PNG–Taiwan trade and cooperation have occurred in sectors such as fisheries, energy, technical assistance, and small projects.

Parts of PNG’s government have viewed Taiwan as a potential partner in economic development, with emphasis on Taiwan’s successes in technology, agriculture, and infrastructure, as reflected in the 1999 press conference when PNG’s Yaki said that through formal relations PNG hoped to benefit from Taiwan’s development experience.^[1]

• Foreign relations of Papua New Guinea
• Foreign relations of Taiwan

• Taipei Economic Office in Papua New Guinea

• Papua New Guinea–Taiwan relations
• Bilateral relations of Papua New Guinea
• Bilateral relations of Taiwan

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