RIYADH, 7 June 2004 — The Business Environment Risk Intelligence (BERI) research organization last month released its latest business environmental risk report for 2004. Taiwan received 72 points on the Profit Opportunity Recommendation Score — BERI’s overall indicator of a country’s business environment, which ranked the country fifth along with Norway among the major 50 economies evaluated, below only Switzerland, Singapore, the Netherlands and Japan. The report rated Taiwan’s investment environment in the top level, indicating a very low risk. It said Taiwan’s GNP had risen by 3.24 percent in 2003 and predicted that this upward trend would continue through 2004. A large increase in orders in 2004 has led to expanded production and stimulated growth in Taiwan’s high-tech sector, while its currency has remained stable because of the country’s large foreign exchange reserves.