A U.S.-based market research company has given Taiwan's investment environment a better assessment thanks to its signing of an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China, an official said Sunday. In the latest Business Environment Risk Intelligence (BERI) report, Taiwan ranked fourth in the 'profit opportunity recommendation' category, trailing only Switzerland, Singapore and Norway, said Ling Chia-yuh, director of the Department of Investment Services under the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Taiwan's score of 71 in the category was one point higher than it received in the previous BERI report issued in April, Ling said, and he attributed the slight increase to the signing in June of the ECFA, which he said would contribute to Taiwan's penetration of the vast Chinese market. The BERI issues research reports in April, August and December each year, giving its assessment of the operations, political and foreign exchange risks for 50 major countries around the world. The company also provides a 'profit opportunity recommendation, ' evaluating whether a country's business environment merits 'investment, contracts for medium and long-term relationships, transaction-by-transaction trade, or no business relations.' The BERI August report offered Taiwan a '1B' rating among the surveyed economies, classifying the nation as a favorable investment destination. In the report's operation risk index, Taiwan received a score of 69, tying with Norway as the world's third least-risky investment destination behind only Singapore and Switzerland. Taiwan ranked fifth in the category in the BERI's April report with a score of 67. Ling said the improved performance in the operation risk index could be attributed to Taiwan's economic recovery in the first half of this year and the restoration of consumer confidence. In the political risk index, Taiwan received a score of 60 in the BERI August report, making it the world's 11th and Asia's second least-risky investment destination. The global ranking marked an advancement of two notches from the April report. Citing the latest BERI report, Lin said Taiwan's political risk has plummeted significantly amid steady improvement in cross-strait relations, particularly after the ECFA's signing on June 29. In the foreign exchange risk index, also known as the remittance and repatriation factor in the BERI report, Taiwan obtained a score of 85, preserving its ranking as the world's third most stable investment destination in terms of foreign exchange risks. Among Asian countries, Taiwan lagged behind only Japan in the category. The BERI report also forecast that Taiwan stands a good chance of attracting more foreign investors in the wake of the ECFA's signing. Growth in Taiwan's foreign trade and its government's establishment of a special task force to solicit investment from around the world will also contribute to such a goal, the report added. 