The WTO negotiations on investment facilitation aim to establish international rules that elevate global investment policy transparency, simplify and expedite investment review procedures, and promote international cooperation.

At present, the world is suffering from Covid-19 resurgence, world economic recovery remains brittle, and international investment cooperation faces growing uncertainties and instability. According to UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2021, global foreign direct investment flows dropped by 35% in 2020; the proportion of more restrictive or more regulatory new policy measures over the same period was 33%, the highest since 2003. All these make the WTO negotiations on investment facilitation ever more relevant.

On December 10, China and 111 WTO members including the EU, Russia, Japan, Chile, Brazil, and Nigeria jointly issued the Joint Statement on Investment Facilitation for Development, in which the parties confirm the aim of concluding the text negotiations by the end of 2022. China will remain committed to supporting the WTO’s work on investment facilitation. China is willing to work with all other parties to push for early conclusion of an agreement, so as to further improve the global investment policy climate and safeguard recovery of cross-border investment with rules. Thank you.