Taiwan among least corrupt in East Asia

2014-12-05

Taiwan was ranked No. 4 in East Asia in the 20th edition of the Corruption Perceptions Index released Dec. 3 by Transparency International, a Germany-based organization.

With a score of 61 out of 100, Taiwan was next only to Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong regionally. Of the 175 nations and territories covered by the annual survey, Taiwan placed 35th overall, up one spot over last year. This marks the second consecutive year the nation has climbed in the rankings.

South Korea trailed at No. 43 with a score of 55, while mainland China was 100th with 36 points.

“The CPI is based on expert opinions of public-sector corruption,” TI said. “Countries’ scores can be helped when the public can hold leaders to account, while a poor score is a sign of prevalent bribery, lack of punishment for corruption and public institutions that do not respond to citizens’ needs.”

According to TI’s East Asia national chapters coordinator Liao Ran, Taiwan has seen continued progress in the last couple of years thanks to media involvement in exposing scandals and law enforcement’s swift action to address iniquities.

Emerging economies featuring rapid growth, meanwhile, tend to have lower CPIs due to senior-level official corruption and restrictive media environments, he added.

This year, Denmark remained atop the survey with 92 points, followed by New Zealand, Finland, Sweden and Norway. North Korea and Somalia came in last with a tie at eight points.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=224878&CtNode=413)