I think alot of people are reading this without knowing what a competitive market is. To have a "perfectly competitive market" you must have what economists call "pure competition".
Pure Competition:
1) Many buyers and sellers in the market.
a) No one buyer or seller, or small groups of market participants can significantly influence/change the market.
b) All buyers and sellers have the option of trading with several others, in an organized or structured market.
2) Homogeneous product.
a) Firms in the market offer a uniform good or service for sale, standardized in terms of specific market grades or classes. Example: Grains or livestock.
b) Within this specific grade or class, buyers do not discriminate among sellers.
3) Freedom of entry or Exit.
a) Any new firm can enter the market, and any firm already in the market can exit the market without any prohibitions.
b) There are no barriers to entry or exit.
c) Entry barriers include patents, licensing requirements, entry quotas, extremely high capital requirements, or loyalties to the brands of other firms.
d) Exit barriers include approval from a government agency or commission for exiting the business.
e) Individual agricultural farms do not have entry or exit barriers, but many agribusiness industries do have (often substantial) barriers to enter the market.
4) Perfect information.
a) All buyers and sellers at all times know the prices of all other buyers and sellers.
b) Buyers and sellers are aware of the alternatives, especially the prices charged by many others in the market.
When the article says they are the most "competitive" it means their economy within itself is very competitive. Don't think for a second they come anywhere close to the U.S.A. in terms of GDP.
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That being said, after reading the quoted article, I am very impressed. This seems to be a country ran by people that understand economic theory, quite unlike the American government.