Taipei drops to 2nd place for first time in competitiveness ranking

Taipei, Sept. 28 (CNA) Hsinchu has surpassed Taipei to take first place in an annual competitiveness ranking of the special municipalities, cities and counties in Taiwan, marking the first time that the capital has lost the top spot in the rankings, according to results released Monday by Taiwan's Global Views magazine.

Taipei has been ranked the most competitive since the magazine began compiling the annual rankings in 2003, although it still scored highest in four out of the nine indicators, Global Views said.

Taipei had the top scores in "economy and employment," "education and culture," "health care" and "local government finances," according to the magazine.

The city also placed among the top five in three other indicators: "environmental protection and quality of the environment" (4), "quality of life and modernization" (3) and "social welfare" (4).

Taipei's low rankings in "crime rates and policing" (10) and "traffic and fire safety" (16), however, dragged down its final score, according to the magazine.

Hsinchu, meanwhile, placed in the top five in eight of the nine indicators (it placed 6th in "quality of life and modernization"), which none of the other cities and counties were able to achieve, the results showed.

Trailing Hsinchu and Taipei this year were New Taipei (3), Taichung (4), Taoyuan (5) and Taitung County (6).

Of the six special municipalities in Taiwan, Kaohsiung ranked lowest at 16. At the bottom of the table were Chiayi County (17), Nantou County (18) and Miaoli County (19).

The offshore counties of Penghu, Kinmen and Lienchiang were not included in the annual rankings due to a lack of data, according to the magazine.

This year's rankings were calculated based mostly on data from 2019, with some from 2018 and 2017, the magazine said.

In response to the results, Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅) said it is hard to surpass Taipei, since "all of the resources are centered there."

Hsinchu was only able to achieve its feat because of the hard work of the city's citizens, Lin said, adding that he will strive to continue to improve as mayor.