Taiwan was ranked 37th among 176 nations and regions in an annual global index on the perception of corruption in the public sector, dropping five spots from last year, the results showed yesterday.
The Corruption Perception Index (CPI) scores countries on a scale from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
Taiwan scored 61.
The nation’s ranking at 37th was the third-highest in East Asia, according to Transparency International’s (TI) Corruption Perception Index 2012.
Taiwan trailed Hong Kong, which had a score of 76, and Japan, with 74. South Korea was ranked 45th with a score of 56.
Last year, Taiwan was ranked 32nd among 183 nations and territories. On the scale of zero to 10 that was used previously, Taiwan scored 6.1 last year.
TI-Taiwan executive director Kevin Yeh (葉一璋) said because TI has revised the methodology for the index this year, it would not be accurate to compare the two scores on the different scales.
Denmark, Finland and New Zealand shared the top spot this year with a score of 90. Among the other nations scoring higher than 80 were Sweden (88), Switzerland (86), Australia (85), Norway (85) and Canada (84).
China remained in 80th place with a score of 39.
A country or territory had to be evaluated by at least three independent institutions before being included in the index. The polls reflect different groups’ opinions on various aspects related to corruption in the polled country.
Noting that domestic surveys have showed the public believe local councils, local governments and the judicial system to be basically corrupt, Chai Sung-lin (柴松林), honorary president of the Taipei-based Chinese Association for Human Rights, said the CPI might not accurately reflect domestic concerns because the institutions conducting the research have little chance to learn about the local situation.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
TPP RALLY: The clashes occurred near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Saturday at a rally to mark the anniversary of a raid on former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je People who clashed with police at a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally in Taipei on Saturday would be referred to prosecutors for investigation, said the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Police Agency. Taipei police had collected evidence of obstruction of public officials and coercion by “disorderly” demonstrators, as well as contraventions of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It added that amid the “severe pushing and jostling” by some demonstrators, eight police officers were injured, including one who was sent to hospital after losing consciousness, allegedly due to heat stroke. The Taipei
RSS