Foreign direct investment (FDI) is not only an engine of world economic growth, but also a determinant of trade growth. About two-thirds of international trade comes from direct investment by multinational companies. Therefore, seeking sustainable growth of transnational investment has become an important way to restore world economic and trade growth. At present, we need to focus on two aspects: first, scale mining, to promote the sustainable growth of FDI; second, FDI effect, to achieve sustainable development goals. The former is related to the opening, facilitation and investment protection of investment policies in various countries, while the latter involves the supervisory power of the host country and the social responsibility of multinational companies.

At present, a complete, fair and binding investment rule has not been established worldwide yet. The existing 2,946 bilateral investment agreements (BIT) and 358 regional agreements containing investment clauses constitute the basic governance system for global investment. The outstanding problem is that various regulations are intertwined at the national, bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels, showing the characteristics of fragmentation and inconsistency, which seriously hinder the development of international investment.

In order to build global stable, predictable and transparent investment rules, the international community has made unremitting efforts. In 1995, OECD attempts to conclude a multilateral investment treaty, but with failure in 1998. In 2001, WTO Doha negotiations announced to promote a multilateral framework on investment, but in Sep of 2003, it was stranded again in Cancun. At the beginning of 2016, the G20, with China as the chair country, launched a new trade and investment working group mechanism. The G20 Trade Ministers' Meeting held in Shanghai in July passed the "G20 Global Investment Guiding Principles" (hereinafter referred to as the "Guiding Principles"). This is the world's first multilateral programmatic document on investment policy formulation and establishes the overall framework of global investment rules.

The development of economic globalization requires a complete and fair global governance system. The “Guiding Principles” put forward the framework and direction for strengthening the coordination of global investment policies, but there is a long way to go to implement them. China will promote and lead the construction of a new international investment rule system with a more open attitude and practice, and contribute to the growth and sustainable development of global FDI.