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.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS