§9903 Consolidated report on unified investment climate statement and country commercial guide

Summary

The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Commerce must work together to create and post each year on a U.S. government website a country- and region-specific report about commercial ties and how to protect U.S. economic and business interests abroad, including exports and investments by small- and medium-sized businesses. Each report must cover 11 topics for every country or region. These include basic information on doing business and the political background; how to sell U.S. products and services; top sectors for U.S. exports and investment; trade rules and customs (like import tariffs and export paperwork or bans); an investment climate statement that covers 8 areas (investment rules, market barriers, business risks, legal and regulatory systems and dispute resolution, corruption, political violence or instability, core labor standards, and property rights); trade and project financing (banking and payments, foreign exchange controls, and main funding sources); business travel and local customs; services and staff at the U.S. diplomatic mission that help businesses; major trade or commercial agreements with the U.S.; and a point of contact at the U.S. mission. The law does not require repeating reports that already exist.