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FI Monitor Issue 7, 2023

Foreign investment regimes in APAC at a glance

Introduction

There has been a significant evolution in the approach to foreign investment in the APAC region in recent years. Several jurisdictions that previously restricted or completely closed off certain sectors to foreign investment have now started to open them up, subject to prior screening. Other jurisdictions have strengthened their screening regimes to guard against perceived risks to national or supply chain security. The result is a very broad and diverse set of rules for foreign investment, shaped by local economic, political and regulatory considerations.

At a high level, the more developed economies in the region have been tightening their scrutiny of foreign investments on national security grounds, with a view to protect sensitive assets, critical technologies and other vital interests. In contrast, developing economies have been relaxing their restrictions on foreign investment to accelerate economic growth. Notably, China and India have to some extent combined both trends. Meanwhile, business hubs like Hong Kong and Singapore continue to maintain their open economy status, with minimal screening of foreign investment.

This interactive map offers an overview of the foreign investment regimes in key APAC jurisdictions, including: (i) a summary of the current state of affairs; and (ii) a list of things to look out for if considering a direct or indirect investment into the jurisdiction. Please click the map or input a specific jurisdiction in the search bar for more details.

 

With thanks to Freshfields Alastair Mordaunt, Laurent Bougard, Ziqi Zhou and Shuke Wen for contributing this update.

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