Investment Facilitation

Investment Facilitation and links to China's OBOR
(Chakravarthi Raghavan, Geneva, 22 May 2017)
The stalemate over the agenda at the General Council last week, resolved on 18 May with a compromise of sorts by the statement from the GC Chair, Amb. Xavier Carim of South Africa, has nevertheless brought to the fore many questionable practices of the secretariat and major systemic issues that, if left unresolved, may soon result in causing irreparable damage to the WTO multilateral trading system.

Investment Facilitation proposals and India's objections
(Chakravarthi Raghavan, Geneva, 19 May 2017)
The several proposals put forward (in Job documents) for inclusion in the General Council Agenda for 10 May, with a view to secure some "deliverables" on Investment Facilitation at the eleventh WTO Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires this December, have been modified now (in the GC Chair's compromise statement) to be merely "Communications" without calling for any GC decisions.

India and others ensure IF can't be discussed formally at WTO
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 19 May 2017)
India along with several developing countries on Thursday (18 May) ensured that investment facilitation cannot be discussed formally at the World Trade Organization, causing a huge setback to China, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, and others who sought to sneak in the failed (OECD mediated) Multilateral Agreement on Investment in a new avatar into the global trade body, trade envoys told SUNS.

India blocks GC over agenda item on Investment Facilitation
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 11 May 2017)
India on Wednesday blocked the proceedings of the World Trade Organization General Council on grounds that the agenda includes proposals to discuss the controversial issue of investment facilitation that is not part of the WTO's mandate, trade envoys told SUNS.

US, India-South Africa nix move for Investment Facilitation accord
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 9 May 2017)
A sustained push by Germany to revive the failed Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) under the banner of an Investment Facilitation agreement foundered on Friday (5 May) at the G20 technical experts' meeting in Berlin.

New efforts to bring long-buried MAI into WTO
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 2 May 2017)
A group of countries - Argentina, Brazil, China, Russia, Hong Kong (China), Mexico, Nigeria, Colombia, Korea, and Australia among others - has stepped up its efforts to bring back the long-buried Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) to the World Trade Organization in the form of an Investment Facilitation Agreement for Development, several trade envoys told SUNS.

Large majority of South nations opposed to "investment facilitation"
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 12 April 2017)
A large majority of developing and least-developed countries, including India and South Africa, remain firmly opposed to attempts by Russia, China, Brazil, and five members of the MIKTA - Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey and Australia - group for starting discussions on investment facilitation at the World Trade Organization, trade envoys told SUNS.