Taiwan ranks 7th in the Illicit Trade Environment Index

The Illicit Trade Environment Index, released by the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU), revealed that Taiwan tied with Singapore to finish 7th with a total score of 69.8 among the 17 economies of the Asia-Pacific region measured with respect to their ability to prevent illicit trade.  The Index looked at four factors, and Taiwan scored in the top five to grab the 4th spot in the category of “supply and demand” but ranked bottom at the 13th place in the category of “transparency and trade”.  

Among the 17 economies assessed, Australia topped the overall rankings with New Zealand and Hong Kong with an average score above 80, followed by Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Singapore in order in the second tier.  The third tier comprised China, India, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia.  The bottom half of the rankings is comprised by Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, each of which scored below 25.  

The Index looks at four areas including intellectual property protection, transparency and trade, customs environment, and supply and demand for illicit trade.  Each economy’s performance in each of the above identified area is demonstrated by a score out of 100.  Taiwan’s ranking in each of the above indicators is No. 6, No. 13, No. 5, and No. 4.  (October 2016)  

/CCS