Taiwan is the world’s sixth most transparent country in terms of defense and security matters. That’s according to the latest Government Defense Integrity report from global anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International.
The organization released its third Government Defense Integrity report on Tuesday. Taiwan placed ahead of every other Asian nation included in the ranking.
Transparency International’s Global Defense Integrity Index assesses the ways in which countries manage the risk of corruption in defense and security institutions. Nearly 90 countries are included in the report. Taiwan was given an overall grade of B, alongside nations like Germany and the United Kingdom. New Zealand was the only country in the world given an A in 2020.
Despite Taiwan’s relative transparency, the report says there still are problems with transparency in Taiwan’s defense procurement processes. The report also says that Taiwan could improve the way it manages corruption as a strategic issue in military operations. Taiwan currently has no doctrine that considers corruption as a strategic issue.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Wednesday that the methodology employed by Transparency International’s Defense and Security team has recently changed. This made the process more complex, and caused scores for countries like the UK, Japan, and Singapore to drop. Taiwan, on the other hand, was able to keep its grade steady.