Respecting commitments made at the Hangzhou summit in September, G20 members are not raising new barriers to investment, according to a joint report released on Thursday by UNCTAD and the OECD.
"Our report shows that in general fears of new protectionism are not emerging, and we see more measures to promote foreign investment instead," said James Zhan, director of UNCTAD's Investment and Enterprise Division.
According to the 16th Report on G20 Investment Measures, nine G20 members introduced policy measures on foreign direct investment (FDI) for the period mid-May to mid-October 2016.
The report cautioned that despite the encouraging findings overall, multiple restrictions on international investment remain in many sectors in G20 members. These restrictions are either explicit in rules or more implicit through the application of discretionary policies.
If G20 members "wish to keep their pledge to build an open world economy, reject protectionism, and facilitate global investment, then they should review whether existing restrictions on foreign investment can be further reduced", added the report.
