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The Office of the United States Trade Representative

USTR Focus on Investment

The U.S. Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) program supports several key U.S. Government economic policy objectives, including the protection of U.S. investment overseas and the promotion of market-oriented policies in other countries, as well as the indirect export promotion of U.S. goods and services.

The BIT program's basic aims are to:

  • protect U.S. investment abroad in those countries where U.S. investors' interests are not sufficiently protected through existing agreements such as U.S. treaties of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation;
  • encourage countries to adopt market-oriented domestic policies that treat private investment in an open, unbiased and transparent manner; and
  • support the development of international law standards consistent with these objectives.
  • This fact sheet helps clear up eight common misunderstandings about U.S. investment agreements and trade.
Bilateral Investment Treaties
Selection Fact Sheet on BITs
Selection U.S. Model Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT)
Selection List of Agreements
 
Investment Issues in WTO
Selection Information on "Singapore Issues"
Selection Trade-Related Investment Measures
Selection Text of the WTO "TRIM" Provisions
 
Document Library
Selection Press Releases
Selection Speeches
Selection Trade and Investment Framework Agreements (TIFAs)