United States Department of State

The Government of Guinea (GOG) is proactively seeking FDI and realizes that the country needs foreign participation in its economy. The technical process of starting a business has been streamlined and is relatively straightforward. In 2011, the GOG centralized the process through the creation of the Agency for the Promotion of Private Investment (APIP) (http: //www.apiguinee.org), which is a one stop shop that falls under the Office of the President. Post works with APIP often and has found them to be a reliable source of information that is committed to assisting foreign businesses with entering the Guinean market. The government desperately needs foreign development to speed Guinea's economic development. The GOG wants to diversify FDI as they realize they do not want to rely on China for most of its large projects. The GOG wants more western participation in its economy and is hopeful that more American companies will seek investment opportunities in Guinea

The GOL maintains a strong commitment to private investment and is generally open to FDI, with the exception of limited restrictions on foreign ownership of small businesses. The GOL welcomes foreign investments that: - Create jobs and open new markets and industries in accordance with the national objective of diversifying Lesotho's industrial base;- Improve skills and productivity of the workforce and nurture local business suppliers and partners;- Support knowledge and technology transfer and diffusion;- Improve the quality and accessibility of infrastructure. Foreign investors enjoy the same rights and protections as Basotho investors. The government is aware of the challenges it faces as a small, landlocked, and least developed country in facilitating investment and is committed to improving the climate for investment.

Kazakhstan has attracted significant foreign investment since independence and would like to see more come into the country. As of December 31, 2014, foreign direct investment in Kazakhstan totaled USD 132.6 billion, primarily in the oil and gas sector. Kazakhstan is widely considered to have the best investment climate in the region, and numerous international firms have established regional headquarters in Kazakhstan. Although Kazakhstan's government has incrementally improved the business climate for foreign investors overall, its efforts to support local content requirements have restricted foreign investment, especially in the extractive sectors.

France is committed to encouraging foreign investment within its borders. In the current economic climate, the French government sees foreign investment as a way to create jobs and stimulate growth. Investment regulations are simple, and a range of financial incentives are available to foreign investors. A public agency named "Business France" resulted from the 2015 merger of UbiFrance (the trade promotion agency) and Agence Francaise pour les Investissements Internationaux (French Agency for International Investment or AFII). AFII (the agency for promoting inward foreign investment) comprised the overseas offices of the Invest in France Agency (IFA) and the Invest in France Network (IFN) association. AFII and the French Intellectual Property Agency, INPI (Institut National de la Propri t Industrielle), have a communication campaign (initially launched in October 2012) called "Say OUI to France, Say OUI to Innovation," with the objective of attracting more foreign investors.

The government of Uzbekistan ("the government" or "the GOU") has declared attracting foreign direct investment a core policy priority, but has one of the lowest cumulative inflows of FDI in the former Soviet Bloc due to a range of factors. These include limited access to foreign currency, an underdeveloped and overregulated banking sector, trade restrictions, government involvement in trade and commerce, and widespread corruption. Without support of the government or state-affiliated entities, foreign investors have limited business opportunities in Uzbekistan. The government generally welcomes investors and investment projects that are in line with its import-substitution and export-oriented industrialization policy, and discourages investments in import-consuming sectors by controlling access to currency exchange.

The Korean government's attitude toward foreign direct investment is positive, and senior policy makers realize the value of FDI. Following the 2008-09 global financial crisis, inbound FDI continued to trend upwards from USD 5.4 billion in 2010 to USD 11.5 billion in 2014. Although the Korean government indicates it recognizes the value of FDI and intends to enact policies to attract FDI, foreign investment in South Korea is still at times hindered by insufficient regulatory transparency, including inconsistent and sudden changes in interpretation of regulations, as well as underdeveloped corporate governance, high labor costs, an inflexible labor system, and significant economic domination by large conglomerates, or chaebol.