Taiwan has maintained its No. 25 ranking in the global Corruption Perceptions Index, showing that its efforts to ensure transparency in governance are being recognized by the international community, Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang (蔡清祥) said yesterday.
Taiwan scored 68 on the index, outperforming 86 percent of the 180 countries on the list, Tsai told a news conference.
Published annually by Berlin-based Transparency International, the latest index was released on Jan. 31, ranking countries and territories worldwide by their perceived levels of public-sector corruption, scoring them on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
Photo: CNA
Denmark ranked first with a score of 90, followed by Finland and New Zealand with 87 each, and Norway with 84.
Countries in the Indo-Pacific region that ranked higher than Taiwan were Singapore at No. 5, Hong Kong at No. 12, Australia at No. 13 and Japan at No. 18.
Regional countries that ranked lower than Taiwan were South Korea at No. 31, Malaysia at No. 61, China at No. 65, Vietnam at No. 77 and the Philippines at No. 116.
“Our efforts to root out corruption, bribery and graft have produced these results for the world to see,” Tsai said.
He called on the Ministry of Justice and law-enforcement agencies to keep up the good work, and encouraged them to help Taiwan catch up with Japan and Hong Kong on transparency and ethics in the public sector.
Tsai said “Taiwan’s ranking in the index has been rising over the past few years,” as it ranked between 29th and 31st places from 2016 to 2018, before improving to 28th place in 2019 and 2020.
The nation then moved up three spots to No. 25 in 2021 and last year.
Tsai attributed the improvement to government crackdowns on corruption, as well as probes by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the Agency Against Corruption (AAC), alongside support from other law-enforcement agencies.
The government is committed to complying with the UN Convention Against Corruption, and working with international bodies against money laundering and terrorism financing, he said.
AAC Director-General Zhuang Rong-song (莊榮松) credited the Government Procurement Integrity Platform for the nation’s progress in the rankings.
The platform aims to root out bid-rigging, influence peddling, bribery and kickbacks, as well as the involvement of organized crime in public tenders for major government projects.
Its success in cleaning up corruption in public procurement projects has prompted corporations to work with the AAC and the justice ministry to set up a pilot Integrity Platform for Enterprises Services program to clean up the private sector, Zhuang said.
He said the government has been enforcing the Act on Property Declaration by Public Servants (公職人員財產申報法) that requires civil servants and elected officials — including lawmakers, city mayors and county commissioners, and city and county councilors — to declare their assets, which now includes cryptocurrency and other virtual assets, he said.
That is in addition to tangible holdings including cash, deposits, securities, jewelry, antiques, vehicles, real estate and other forms of investments, he added.
The requirement aims to ensure ethical practices, deter corruption and prevent the acquisition of funds and properties through illegal means, Zhuang said.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
RSS