Taiwan Today

Taiwan is a free country, according to the Washington-based Freedom House, which conducts annual surveys to determine the state of liberty in 192 countries and 14 territories. The report, titled "Worst of the Worst: The World's Most Repressive Societies 2006," uses a seven-point scale to determine the level of civil liberties and political rights, with 1 being the freest end of the scale and 7 reserved for the world's most repressive societies. Taiwan earned a score of 1 this year, while China scored a 7. The report credited constitutional and electoral reforms and recent improvements in terms of political rights for the better score this year. Timely, relevant, and viable constitutional amendments contribute to the nation's democratic accomplishments, according to the report, and equality and civil liberties are protected by the ROC Constitution. People in Taiwan today enjoy freedom of speech, freedom of religious expression and freedom of association, according to the report.