New Delhi, July 20 -- PORT MORESBY - Taiwan's representative office in Papua New Guinea, quietly operational since 1990 and built on a trade agreement struck the year before its founding, is facing closure. Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko announced the decision last Wednesday without advance notice to Taipei, framing it as a reaffirmation of Papua New Guinea's "one China" policy. He communicated the news to Beijing's ambassador the same day.

The sequencing mattered. By informing Chinese Ambassador Yang Xiaoguang before issuing any formal notice to Taiwan, Tkatchenko signaled that the decision was coordinated with, if not driven by, Beijing's diplomatic priorities. The Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Lin Jian responded quickly,...