October 2009
Welcome to the latest update from Invest in America, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s program to promote foreign direct investment to the United States This monthly update is meant to provide a few quick points highlighting some activities of Invest in America.
Upcoming Invest in America Participation
Invest in America will participate in:
- China Overseas Investment Fair, Beijing, China, November 4, 2009
- Council of America States in Europe, (CASE ) Three City Roadshow, events in Milan, Paris and Brussels, February 2-4, 2010, website forthcoming.
- Briefing on federal policy issues relevant to FDI attraction, for state and local economic development officials, April 21, 2009, details forthcoming.
Recent Invest in America Participation
- VentureLab Investment Forum in Oslo, Norway, October 13, 2009
- AILA EB-5 Investors Conference in San Francisco, California on October 19, 2009
Reports of Note
IBM’s Global Location Trends 2009 report demonstrates that global investment activity continues to broaden along with the potential for new growth and prosperity.
The Vale Columbia Center Columbia FDI Perspectives No. 14 contains a report by Charles Kovacs entitled “Sovereign Wealth Funds: much ado about some money.” Kovacs notes that the name Sovereign Wealth Fund is “unfortunate and misleading. The term has endowed SWFs with a special and even threatening aura, even though, under international law, they do not enjoy sovereign immunity, as they are just state-owned entities, along with government-owned airlines, banks, shipping companies, etc.”
According to “Losing America’s Secret Weapon,” by Edward Alden: The Nobel Prizes for science were about as close to a clean sweep for the United States as it is possible to get. Every one of the nine winners in physics, chemistry and medicine is either an American citizen or spent a significant portion of their scientific careers in this country.
Other Items of Interest
The Fourth Columbia International Investment Conference, FDI, the Global Crisis and Sustainable Recovery, New York City, November 4-5, 2009.
GreenBuild International Conference and Expo, Phoenix, AZ, November 11-13, 2009.
Feature your company at the Invest in America Seminar at the China Overseas Investment Fair in Beijing on November 4, 2009.AccessAmerica is a new online Chinese-language directory of U.S. firms that provide customized services to Chinese companies wanting to conduct business in the U.S. AccessAmerica provides exposure to a large Chinese audience of potential investors, key partners, and Chinese media. Through Access America, U.S. firms are featured in Chinese on the U.S. Embassy Chinese website that receives 100,000 hits per month. Direct AccessAmerica questions to Julie.Carducci@mail.doc.gov.
Data
- Inquiries to date in 2009: 220
- Ombudsman cases in 2009: 14
Invest in America’s ombudsman program has achieved a number of successes in working across the federal government to address investor concerns and issues involving federal agencies. If a foreign investor has a federal-level issue that is jeopardizing an investment in the United States, please contact Invest in America at 202-482-5199 or email Invest in America at info@investamerica.gov.
We invite you to connect with us through the “Invest in America” group on Linkedin.com.
Please address all comments and suggestions to info@investamerica.gov. For more information about Invest in America, please visit our website at www.investamerica.gov.
