Acknowledgements This Brief was written by Tom Becker and Kynan King, in the Innovation, Enterprise, andInvestment Section(IEIS)of the Trade, Investment and Innovation Division(TIID),in theUnited Nations Economic and Social Commission forAsia-Pacific(ESCAP). Thedevelopment of the Brief wascarried outunder thesubstantive directionof HeatherTaylor-Strauss, andoveralldirection ofRupa Chanda, Director, TIID;Jonathan Wong,Chief, IEIS, TIID;and Yann Duval, Chief, Trade Policy and Facilitation Section (TPFS), TIID.The cover designwascreated by Nucharat Tuntiwigit. Highlights..................................................................................................................11. Greenfield investment trends,................................................................................22. Subregional FDI trends.........................................................................................62.1EastandNorth-EastAsia..................................................................................82.3SouthandSouth-WestAsia............................................................................102.4NorthandCentralAsia...................................................................................122.5The Pacific......................................................................................................133. Trends in intraregional Greenfield FDI................................................................144. Sectoral trends in Greenfield FDI........................................................................165. Investment determinants, motivations andevolving businesses functions...........196. Climate FDI Trends.............................................................................................217. Conclusion..........................................................................................................27References...............................................................................................................29Appendix 1: Climate Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Sectors.............................33Appendix 2: Select Sector Definitions (fDi Markets)..................................................34 List of Figuresand Tables Figure 1. Announced Greenfield FDI inflows and outflows fromAsia-Pacific..............4Figure 2. Greenfield FDI Inflow YTD Sep growth rates in Asia-Pacific........................6Figure 3. Greenfield FDI Outflow YTD Sep growth rates in Asia-Pacific.....................7Figure 4. Intraregional Inflows of Greenfield FDI in Asia-Pacific...............................14Figure 5. Sectoral composition of announced Greenfield inflows inAsia-Pacific......16Figure 6. Top Sectors for greenfield FDI, 2014-2023................................................18Figure 7. Top ten motives cited for projects.............................................................19Figure 8. Number of projects by business activities in Asia-Pacific...........................20Figure 9. ClimateAreasand Coal, Oil & Gas Greenfield FDI....................................23Table 1.Subsectors targeted by investors supporting the EV value chain................25 Highlights Change in Greenfield FDI •In 2024, total Greenfield FDI inflows to Asia and the Pacific saw a 14 per centdecrease compared to 2023 driven bySouth-East Asia which dropped by 33 percent. However,this is a small dip over a record 2023 showing the region’s strength. Regional Highlight •The North and Central Asia subregion has seen another year of strong investmentgrowth in 2024, withGreenfield FDI inflows increasing by 27 per cent year-to-date.This was driven primarily by Kazakhstan through chemical and natural gas relatedprojects. However, South and South-west Asia has attracted the most Greenfield FDIso far in 2024 amounting to US $83 billion. Country Highlight •India emerged again as the top destination for Greenfield FDI inflows in Asia andthe Pacific in 2024, attracting an estimated US $76 billion thus far. Investments insemiconductors and renewable energy led the way. Climate FDI Highlight •Greenfield investments into climate FDI represented 21 per cent of total investmentsinto Asia and the Pacific led by investments into green hydrogen projects. However,total investments were down 15 per centin the January-September period of 2024,compared to 2023. Industry Highlight •Thecommunications industry saw some of the most significant growth in GreenfieldFDI in 2024, rising 69 per cent to US $ 40 billion placing it as the second largestsector behind renewable energy at US $ 58 billion. Signals Highlight •International investors are choosing Asia and the Pacific for its internal market, withthe top two project motives in the region being proximity to markets or customerand domestic market growth. 1. Greenfieldinvestment trends1,2 The landscape of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Asia-Pacific continues to evolverapidlyamid global economic uncertainties,geopolitical s