TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The risk of corruption in Taiwan’s defense sector is low, Transparency International said in its annual Government Defense Integrity Index 2020 published Tuesday (Nov. 16).

Out of 86 countries reviewed by the organization, only New Zealand received an “A” for a very low corruption risk, while Taiwan was the only Asian nation among the eight in the “B” category for low risk. Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea were included in the “C” band for moderate risk, with China featuring in the second-worst category, “E,” for very high risk.

Transparency International also split up its assessment into several categories. For Taiwan, the organization said that “parliamentary oversight is well established and effective, as is external scrutiny of financial management, while personnel management processes contain strong anti-corruption provisions.”

However, the report still gave Taiwan lower marks for two aspects of its defense management. “Corruption risk is high for military operations, and there remain lingering issues surrounding non-transparent defense procurement,” the document said.