Improving for the third consecutive year and up five places from the previous survey, Taiwan gained a point to 62 out of 100 for its best performance since 2005. Denmark, Finland and Sweden topped the list in that order, with scores of 91, 90 and 89 respectively. North Korea and Somalia tied for worst performers at eight points.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Taiwan trailed New Zealand at No. 4, Singapore at No. 8, Australia at No. 13, Hong Kong and Japan at No. 18 and Bhutan at No. 27.
An official from the Agency Against Corruption under the ROC Ministry of Justice welcomed the results, attributing Taiwan’s strong showing to the collective efforts by agencies in promoting clean governance.
“The rankings represent global recognition of the government’s anti-graft policies in recent years,” the official said. “At a time when most of these Asia-Pacific countries dropped back in the annual survey, Taiwan’s improvement is particularly noteworthy.”
According to the agency, related measures adopted by the government in recent years include 2015’s Act to Implement U.N. Convention against Corruption, as well as 2009’s National Integrity Building Action Plan promoting clean governance.
The official said the AAC will continue rolling out measures in line with the spirit of the U.N. convention to ensure Taiwan maintains its high level of integrity, press freedom and transparency, among other key characteristics of a clean government.
At the same time, the MOJ will step up efforts in promoting cross-border exchanges by taking part in international activities and conferences, so as to introduce the country’s achievements to a wider global audience.
In the Perceptions of Corruption in Asia report released in April by Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd., Taiwan also delivered its best performance in the past 10 years, ranking as the sixth least corrupt economy in the region. (SFC-JSM)
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