特集1：コロンビア
Message from Ambassadors

Colombia: An Attractive
Investment Environment
Patricia Cárdenas
Former Ambassador of Colombia to JapanG

iven a strategic location, a population of 47
million people, a network of signed Free Trade
Agreements and a commitment to economic growthand prosperity for all, Colombia has remarkably expanded its presence in global markets and has positioned itself as a reliable partner that offers an attractive
business environment for international firms to invest.
Colombia has been ranked as the third most business-friendly and leading reforming country inLatin America, according to the Doing Business report 2014 of the World Bank.
Other international entities and organizations haveemphasized the positive conditions that Colombia
has to offer, a country striving for innovation, recognized for its skilled labour and with an extensive
range of free trade zones.

country has a competitive Free Trade Zone regime
which grants benefits such as a single 15% income
tax rate, among many more advantages.
The UNCTAD 2012 World Investment report ranks
Colombia as one of the countries in the region withthe highest potential for foreign direct investment inline with the investor’s expectations.
After having granted an investment grade to
Colombia in 2011, Standard and Poor’s, Fitch andMoody’s, the top three risk rating agencies in theworld, improved again in 2013 the Colombian
grade, which endorses the country’s economic andfiscal conditions and encourages global firms toconsider the nation as a destination.

UIndeed, innovation has been included as one of thedriving engines of the National Development Plan(2010-2014). Colombia is considered as one of thecountries with the largest annual increase in availability of human resources according to the 2012
IMD Workforce Growth Rate. Additionally, thendoubtedly, this positive outlook coincides
with the foreign investment boom thatColombia has registered since the beginning of thiscentury. The country has received large investmentsin the nation’s oil and mining sector, and lower percentages have taken part in the manufacturing industry, the transport and communication areas andthe retail sector.

Bogota, the capital city

Medellín, Colombia’s second largest city

Photo Credit: PROEXPORT COLOMBIA

Photo Credit: PROEXPORT COLOMBIA

22014.7コロンビア特集As an attractive destination for investment given thevariety of possibilities it can offer and the generous
conditions for foreign firms, Colombia has maintained a continuous presence of Foreign Direct
Investment flows from the United States in the firstplace, England in the second, Spain in the third andChile in the fourth since 1994.
Although the investment flows from Asia are moderate if compared with other nations, the current national policies to further engage with the Asian
region are opening new possibilities for stronger
ties in this area.

The visit of President Juan Manuel Santos to Japan in September2011, when the Bilateral Investment Agreement was signed and thecreation of a study group for EPA was announced.

Japanese firms have increased their presence inthe past year and, in the context of the negotiation of the Economic Partnership Agreement andthe already signed Bilateral Investment Agreement,
the future outlook implies endless opportunities.
One of the recent notorious cases of Japanese investment in Colombia was the one made by
ITOCHU, which in June 2011 acquired a 20 per
cent of Drummond in Colombia, $1.52 billion, thelargest flow of investment coming from Japan.
Certainly Colombia is a country on the rise, and whilechallenges undoubtedly still exist, its best years are
yet to come. International studies and reports support
this changing view of the country and as Colombia’s
global standing increases, international investment do
too. Being part of this ongoing transformation will indeed result in mutual benefits for all, and in this particular case, for Colombia and Japan.

A breakfast meeting organized by PROEXPORT as well in the framework of President Santos visit to Japan in September 2011.
Different representatives of a variety of firms gathered to listed
about the great opportunities that Colombia offers.

One of the rounds of the negotiations of the EPA Colombia-Japan,
which took place in Tokyo in December 2012 with the presence ofMinister of Trade, Industry and Tourism, Sergio Díaz Granados.
＊H.E. Ms. Patricia Cárdenas had completed her seven years tenure asambassador to Japan in April 2014 and has been appointed as ambassador to Brazil.

JOI 特別会員『コロンビア貿易振興機構（PROEXPORT COLOMBIA）』の ご紹介
コロンビア貿易振興機構（PROEXPORT COLOMBIA）は、コロンビアへの海外投資誘致、コロンビアの輸出および観光の促進を目的とした政府機関で、世界に30以上ある拠点から、各分野に関するさまざまな情報を発信しております。日本事務所はコロンビア大使館・通商部として、両国間の貿易やビジネスを活発化するため、セミナーや講演会を開催しているほか、コロンビアの各セクターにおける市場分析や投資誘致政策など、日本企業の皆さまからの個別のご相談に対し、無償で情報提供しております。コロンビアへの進出に関するお問い合わせについては、PROEXPORT COLOMBIA日本事務所 和合ヒロシ代表および中園竜之介投資アドバイザーが担当しておりますので、下記へご照会ください。

代表和合 ヒロシ
hwago@proexport.com.co
投資アドバイザー 中園 竜之介
rnakazono@proexport.com.co
TEL: 03-5575-5970 FAX: 03-5575-5972

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