According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, Taiwan leads Japan and South Korea. Globally it is 11th. Greater financial transparency in politics and judicial independence are the main factors boosting its ranking. Thanks to hi-tech, the island also had the best economy in 2020. It also ranks third in the world for 5G network speed.
Taipei (AsiaNews) – Taiwan is the most democratic country in Asia, this according to the 2020 Democracy Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit, which was released this week.
Taiwan is ranked better than Japan and South Korea, and the three countries are the only “full democracies” in the continent.
Globally, Taiwan is in 11th position. The top five are Norway, Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand and Canada. The island jumped 20 positions over 2019.
The country's rise reflects a consolidation of positive political and legal development over the past few years, the report notes, especially thanks to greater transparency in financing of political parties and the judiciary's independence from government influence.
Taiwan also set new records whilst the world experienced an annus horribilis because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the island is among the countries that have better managed the health emergency.
Taiwan's economy grew by 2.98 per cent in 2020, Taiwan's statistics bureau reported, doing better than mainland China’s 2.3 per cent for the first time in 30 years, and outperforming all the other advanced economies.
Technology drove Taiwanese growth. According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, Taiwan is the world's leading microchips producer after the United States with about 10 per cent.
Wireless-mapping company Opensignal confirmed Taiwan’s hi-tech capabilities in 5G download speed.
At 272.2 megabits per second (Mbps), it is third after South Korea (354.4 Mbps) and the United Arab Emirates (292.2 Mbps)
Last July, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen announced that her administration would invest more than US$ 700 million over the next four years to develop 5G networks.