Foreign Direct Investment: Trends, TRIMs, and WTO Negotiations

Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows have increased dramatically in recent decades. As developing countries, particularly in Asia, remove restrictions and implement policies to attract FDI inflows, trade and investment have become increasingly intertwined. As such, there have been growing calls for a multilateral framework of foreign investment rules to be negotiated under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This paper reviews recent developments in FDI flows and their impacts in developing Asia, and the importance of the policy context in which those flows occur. It discusses advantages and disadvantages of including FDI in WTO negotiations, and related policy options for developing Asian economies.