In the view of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), greenfield foreign direct investment in industry remains fragile, especially in developing countries. There is significant risk that the momentum for recovery in international investment will stall prematurely, hampering efforts to boost finance for sustainable development 3.
Turning to Asia, the real GDP growth surge in east Asia (which includes the Pacific region) following the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis lost steam during the period between 2011-21 in a largely cyclical downturn. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a sharp fall in fixed capital investment and labour supply, which still remain below pre-pandemic levels.