The U.S. Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) program supports several key U.S. Government economic policy objectives, including the protection of U.S. investment overseas and the promotion of market-oriented policies in other countries, as well as the indirect export promotion of U.S. goods and services.

The BIT program's basic aims are to:

• protect U.S. investment abroad in those countries where U.S. investors' interests are not sufficiently protected through existing agreements such as U.S. treaties of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation;
  
• encourage countries to adopt market-oriented domestic policies that treat private investment in an open, unbiased and transparent manner; and
  
• support the development of international law standards consistent with these objectives.
This fact sheet helps clear up eight common misunderstandings about U.S. investment agreements and trade.