TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Tuesday (Aug. 2) hailed Freedom House’s plan to establish an office in Taipei as a testament to Taiwan’s being a beacon of democracy.

The U.S. government-funded non-profit announced in a July 29 tweet it is opening an office in the capital of Taiwan. It will help foster “deepened collaboration with individuals and groups supporting human rights and democracy across the Indo-Pacific region,” it said.

The move was lauded by MOFA, which has made it a top priority to attract non-government organizations (NGOs) to build a presence in Taiwan, according to its spokesperson Joanne Ou (歐江安).

The ministry has assisted with the establishment of offices for the U.S.-based National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute, the Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation for Freedom from Germany, the European Values Center for Security Policy from Czechia, and Safeguard Defenders from Spain.

Freedom House has described Taiwan as “one of Asia’s most robust democracies.” Taiwan scored 94 out of 100 in the Freedom in the World 2022 report and ranked 17th among 210 countries. China scored 9 and was listed as a “not free” country.