Freedom House has ranked Taiwan as Asia’s second-freest place in the 2020 edition of its annual “Freedom in the World” report.
Taiwan scored 93 out of a possible 100 points, putting it second only to Japan in the Asian region.
China received only ten points. The erosion of democracy in Hong Kong led the territory to lose four points during the past year, with a final score of 55 points.
On Thursday, foreign ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou said that Taiwan’s high score shows high levels of international approval for Taiwan’s pursuit of democracy, freedom, and human rights.
Ou said that Taiwan will continue to uphold and advance these values, while joining with friendly nations to secure freedom for all people. She also said that Taiwan will contribute to democracy, openness, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and in the world at large.