Taiwan is one of only three free countries in East Asia besides Japan and South Korea, according to the results of the 2007 Freedom in the World survey released on Wednesday by US-based Freedom House.
The survey uses a scale of 1 to 7 to measure the freedom ratings of more than 100 countries and territories in the categories of political rights and civil liberties.
A rating of 1 indicates the highest degree of freedom and 7 the least amount of freedom.
The ratings determine whether a country is classified as "free," "partly free" or "not free."
Taiwan received a rating of 2 in terms of political rights, down one notch from last year, and maintained a rating of 1 in terms of civil liberties.
Both Japan and South Korea performed similarly to last year, scoring 1 in terms of political rights and 2 in terms of civil liberties.
Among Asian countries rated as "partly free," Singapore received 5 for political rights and 4 for civil liberties; Malaysia received 4 for both categories; the Philippines received 3 for both categories and East Timor received 3 for political rights and 4 for civil liberties.
China
Among Asian countries rated as "not free," China scored 7 for political rights and 6 for civil liberties while both North Korea and Myanmar scored 7 in both categories.
Thailand scored 7 for political rights and 4 for civil liberties, Vietnam scored 7 for political rights and 5 for civil liberties, Cambodia scored 6 for political rights and 5 for civil liberties and Laos scored 7 for political rights and 6 for civil liberties.
Meanwhile, Mongolia is rated as a "free" country, receiving 2 for both political rights and civil liberties, while Hong Kong is classified as a "partly free" territory, scoring 5 for political rights and 2 for civil liberties.
More free than not
Worldwide, 90 countries are classified as "free," 58 as "partly free" and 45 as "not free."
By population, a total of 3.04 billion people live in "free" countries, 1.83 billion people are living in "partly free" countries, and 2.45 billion people are living in "not free" countries.
By region, there are 25 "free" countries, nine "partly free" countries and one "not free" country in the Americas.
In Western Europe, there are 24 "free" countries and one "partly free" country.
In the Asia-Pacific region, there are 16 "free" countries, 12 "partly free" countries and 11 "not free" countries.
In North Africa and the Middle East, there is one "free" country, six "partly free" countries and 11 "not free" countries.
In Africa south of the Sahara, there are 11 "free" countries, 22 "partly free" countries and 15 "not free" countries.
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
The German city of Hamburg on Oct. 14 named a bridge “Kaohsiung-Brucke” after the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. The footbridge, formerly known as F566, is to the east of the Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district, and connects the Dar-es-Salaam-Platz to the Brooktorpromenade near the Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River. Timo Fischer, a Free Democratic Party member of the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly, in May last year proposed the name change with support from members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union. Kaohsiung and Hamburg in 1999 inked a sister city agreement, but despite more than a quarter-century of
Taiwanese officials are courting podcasters and influencers aligned with US President Donald Trump as they grow more worried the US leader could undermine Taiwanese interests in talks with China, people familiar with the matter said. Trump has said Taiwan would likely be on the agenda when he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) next week in a bid to resolve persistent trade tensions. China has asked the White House to officially declare it “opposes” Taiwanese independence, Bloomberg reported last month, a concession that would mark a major diplomatic win for Beijing. President William Lai (賴清德) and his top officials
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday expressed “grave concerns” after Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) reiterated the city-state’s opposition to “Taiwanese independence” during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強). In Singapore on Saturday, Wong and Li discussed cross-strait developments, the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “Prime Minister Wong reiterated that Singapore has a clear and consistent ‘one China’ policy and is opposed to Taiwan independence,” it said. MOFA responded that it is an objective fact and a common understanding shared by many that the Republic of China (ROC) is an independent, sovereign nation, with world-leading
RSS