The Ministry of Justice was invited to participate in the “Public-Private Collaboration, Joining Hands in Integrity” Governance Outlook and Exchange Meeting of the Enterprise Service Integrity Platform, organized by the Taichung City Government on July 14, 2023. The event focused on listening to input from the private sector, addressing issues and needs related to industrial park businesses and legal compliance affairs for enterprise-friendly regulations. This participation is intended to put into practice in line with an important indicator of social participation in the context of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), and to strengthen and deepen the partnership between the public and private sectors.

The exchange meeting was opened with remarks by Taichung City Deputy Mayor, Huang Kuo-jung, Deputy Minister of Justice Tsai Pi-chung and the Chairman of Transparency International Taiwan, Hsu Jen-hui. In attendance were representatives from the Ministry of Justice’s Agency Against Corruption (AAC), including Director-General Chuang Rong-song and Deputy Director-General Shen Feng-liang. Deputy Director-General Shen Feng-liang delivered a keynote presentation on the topic of “Enhancing Administrative Efficiency - Clarifying the Difference Between Unlawful Profit-seeking and Convenience for the Public.” Following this, the in-depth governance discussion was moderated by Professor Wang Feng-kwei from Tunghai University and Chairman Hsu Jen-hui from Transparency International Taiwan. During the discussion, representatives from the public and private sectors explored various themes, including “Challenges and Strategies for Small and Medium-sized Business Operations,” “Government Governance Actions – Promoting Economic and Administrative Streamlining and Simplification Measures,” and “Enterprise Service Integrity Platform - Vision of Integrity Governance and Sustainable Operations.” These discussions provided insights from different perspectives through cross-domain research and exchanges.

Deputy Minister of Justice Tsai Pi-chung emphasized in his speech that “adhering to the law” and “integrity” are the cornerstone principles and responsibilities of civil servants in government agencies. These principles also align with the public’s and enterprises’ expectations of the government. Therefore, distinguishing between “convenience for the public” and “unlawful profit-seeking” is a crucial matter. Only when the public sector upholds the values of integrity can the private sector have a trustworthy and secure investment environment. Therefore, “public and private integrity” is a goal that everyone collectively pursues. Moreover, in the “Economic Freedom Index” for the year 2023, published by the American think tank, the Heritage Foundation, Taiwan secured the 4th among of 184 economies. This marked the best performance in years, with Taiwan achieving the 2nd rank in the “integrity of government” category, receiving global recognition and acclaim. The establishment of the Enterprise Service Integrity Platform Liaison Center by the Taichung City Government is greatly appreciated. This exchange event, carefully planned and executed, has deepened the partnership between the government and businesses, working together to create a transparent, clean and competent investment environment.

Deputy Mayor Huang Kuo-jung of Taichung emphasized in his speech that integrity is the fundamental requirement of government agencies. Ethics personnel in these organizations actively work to prevent various forms of misconduct or illegal activities. They also timely remind their colleagues to follow the rule of law when conducting their duties to avoid legal pitfalls. The Taichung City Government has garnered recognition and praise from the public for its transparency and integrity achievements. In terms of sustainability, the Taichung City Government received recognition for its achievements in the “2022 15th TCSA Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Awards” and was ranked first in the Platinum category in the government agency sustainability report assessment. This demonstrates the public-private cooperation and sustainable development have been highly recognized.

Chairman Hsu Jen-hui of Transparency International Taiwan pointed out that Taiwan has achieved impressive results in the global Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International in recent years. The further promotion of the Enterprise Service Integrity Platform by the Agency Against Corruption is expected to deepen the integration of the four major goals: “streamlining administration processes and providing convenience for the public, public-private collaboration, enterprise integrity, and sustainable development” within the public and private sectors.