In late 2008, as financial markets were crashing, the Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment launched the Columbia FDI Perspectives. The first Perspective, entitled “The FDI recession has begun,” correctly forecast an FDI recession in the following year. From that first...

This second edition of this publication provides an overview of important contemporary issues relating to foreign direct investment (FDI) and multinational enterprises for all those who are interested in this subject, but are not always in a position to follow diverse perspectives and what is...

State-controlled entities, including state-owned enterprises and sovereign wealth funds, are increasingly important participants in international investment flows and international trade. As claimants in contractual arbitrations, they may face some unique issues, since it is not always clear...

As China's outward foreign direct investment (FDI) has grown, its approach to international investment agreements (IIAs) has changed. China is now one of the world's most important outward investors, with Chinese FDI facing widespread criticism. The challenge for China is to adapt to this new...

Investor-state dispute settlement ("ISDS") has been put through the ringer in recent public comment as a system that "threatens domestic sovereignty by empowering foreign corporations to bypass domestic court systems" and "weakens the rule of law."' One such foreign corporation is Philip Morris...

China is now one of the world's most important outward investors. The salient features of the country's cross-border direct investments (discussed in the first section) include that its foreign direct investment (FDI) has grown rapidly, that state-owned enterprises (SOEs) play a dominant role...

The rise of FDI is accompanied by an increasingly stronger international investment regime, enforced by an investor-state dispute settlement mechanism. Still, MNEs are becoming increasingly concerned about political risk in host countries. Governments and some multilateral organizations offer...