Taiwan moved up four places in this years Corruption Perception Index (CPI) , ranking 33rd among 178 countries in the annual survey, Transparency International Taiwan (TIT) announced on Tuesday. Taiwan ranked sixth in the Asia-Pacific region, trailing New Zealand, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan, according to the survey. Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang welcomed the result but said there is still much room for improvement. 'Clean governance is a core value of President Ma Ying-jeou's administration. The improved ranking shows the government's anti-corruption initiative has proven effective,' he said. Lo said in the past two and half years President Ma and government officials at all levels have pushed vigorously for a clean government, citing the passage of various anti-corruption laws in order to stop the 'red envelope' practice that has long existed in Chinese culture. The spokesman pointed out that in 2000 Taiwan's ranking shot up to 28th but quickly moved down after the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) headed by former President Chen Shui-bian became the ruling party. Chen is currently detained on charges of money laundering and corruption. Echoing Lo's comments, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) pledged to to take further steps to improve conditions in the future. The Germany-based Transparency International is a global coalition to monitor anti-corruption efforts by governments around the world. The organization defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. The 2010 CPI draws on information gathered from business opinion surveys carried out by independent and reputable institutions. Taiwan's ranking fluctuated between 25th and 35th place from 1995-2007. In 2008, Taiwan dropped to 39th and moved back to 37th the following year. 