TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan has been ranked as the 28th least corrupt country in the world, according to a global survey released by the anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI) on Thursday (Jan. 28).

In the 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index, Taiwan had a score of 65 out of 100 points, making it 28th out of 180 countries. It came in fourth in Asia, following Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan.

New Zealand and Denmark once again made it to the top as the least corrupt countries in the world, with tied score of 88. Meanwhile, the U.S. was in the 25th spot with 67 points, and China tied four other countries for 78th place with a score of 42.

The report shows that over two-thirds of countries attained less than 50 points on their perception of corruption in government and that progress has been very limited in the Asia Pacific. Some governments have also apparently become less transparent during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Taiwan chapter of TI said the country has gradually improved its anti-corruption efforts over the last few years but that it still has a long way to catch up with Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan. The organization urged the Taiwanese government to remain transparent in its epidemic prevention policies to prevent public administration corruption, reported CNA.