The World Economic Forum (WEF) released its Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013 today. Executive Yuan spokesperson Hu Yu-wei noted that although Taiwan was ranked 13th in the world for the third year in a row, its overall score has continued to climb, rising to 5.28 points, its best rating since 2007. Hu said this demonstrates the government's administration of the economy has received international recognition.
In its country highlights, the WEF commended Taiwan for its "consistently strong" competitiveness. Hu pointed out that Taiwan ranked first in five indices this year and made the top 10 in 26, showing that Taiwan's overall competitiveness is on the rise.
Among Taiwan's 26 top 10 indices, the greatest improvements came in "burden of government regulation," where the country moved up 20 spots to 10th, and "number of procedures required to start a business," in which it improved 26 places to 8th. This goes to show that the government's efforts to promote deregulation, enhance administrative efficiency and provide a more business-friendly environment have already garnered results, Hu commented.
Hu reiterated that the government is duty-bound to raise national competitiveness and said it will maintain excellence in areas that have made great strides while finding concrete means to rectify those that need improvement. It will also strive to enhance competitiveness by improving its investment environment, attracting foreign firms and creating job opportunities, he said.