Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-02-02

Taiwan has been ranked 13th on the 2018 Index of Economic Freedom published Friday by the Wall Street Journal and US think tank the Heritage Foundation. The index surveyed 186 economic entities around the world.

Taiwan’s ranking was two places lower than last year but was still the country’s second-highest ranking in the last ten years. The country was given a score of 76.6, which was slightly higher than last year’s 76.5.

The National Development Council (NDC) said Taiwan performed best in the area of financial soundness, as the national debt as a percentage of GDP has dropped over the last three years. The area of investment freedom was a drag on Taiwan’s ranking, however, with limits on foreign investment and use of land.    [FULL  STORY]