Hong Kong rated least bureaucratic in Asia

Hong Kong has surpassed Singapore to become the least bureaucratic region in Asia, a poll of expatriates working in 12 Asian countries and regions has found, according to Wednesday's China Daily HK Edition. Hong Kong's rating in beating red tape has leaped significantly from grade 3.11 to grade 1.9. On the scale of bureaucracy, grades range from zero to 10. Zero is the best possible and 10 the most heavily bound in red tape. The study was conducted by Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd (PERC). The questions were based on how expatriates perceived the civil service in the Asian states in which they worked. Singapore, rated the least bureaucratic country last year, has also improved but by a lesser degree. Its grade of 2.8 last year improved slightly to 2.5. But it slipped into second place behind Hong Kong. Other countries and regions covered by the study were India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Viet Nam, the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.