A word from the Ambassador
![photo by US Embassy Bern photo by US Embassy Bern](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130214142427im_/http://photos.state.gov/libraries/switzerland/355469/resources/Ambassador-Flags_500x300.jpg)
Ambassador Donald S. Beyer Jr.
Trade opportunities between the U.S. and Switzerland
Dear Business Leader:
Switzerland’s relationship with the United States is broad and deep, and its trade and investment relationship is large and dynamic. Switzerland was the single largest source of foreign investment into the United States in 2010, and Switzerland is also an important destination for U.S. investment – there is more U.S. capital invested in Switzerland than in China, India, Brazil and Russia combined. Switzerland also plays host to the international or European headquarters of more than 80 major U.S. multinational companies. The founders of the two countries borrowed from each other in forming the political foundations of these “sister republics,” and today they are two of the three most competitive economies in the world.
On June 15, 2011, President Obama signed an Executive Order creating SelectUSA, the first coordinated federal effort to aggressively pursue and win new business investment in the United States. SelectUSA will encourage businesses from abroad to operate in the United States, promote expansion of American and non-American businesses, and work with American companies operating outside the United States to “on-shore” their operations back to the United States.
We are pleased to announce that Switzerland has been selected as one of the first 25 countries highlighted by SelectUSA, starting in October 2012. Click here to learn more about SelectUSA and the advantages of investing in the United States.
I believe that the business and investment relationship between the United States and Switzerland will continue to blossom, and I urge you to participate in this dynamic relationship.
Sincerely,
Donald S. Beyer, Jr.
U.S. Ambassador