From Merriam Webster: Full Definition of discourage dis·cour·aged dis·cour·ag·ing transitive verb 1 : to deprive of courage or confidence : dishearten <was

From Merriam Webster: Full Definition of discourage dis·cour·aged dis·cour·ag·ing transitive verb 1 : to deprive of courage or confidence : dishearten <was discouraged by repeated failure> 2 a : to hinder by disfavoring <trying to discourage absenteeism> b : to dissuade or attempt to dissuade from doing something <tried to discourage her from going> To hinder by disfavoring. Foreign investors are disfavored -- they can invest, but under different (and less favorable, hence disfavored) terms. They are hindered in the process. You can make a case that this hindrance is a good thing, if you want to, I guess. But you're trying to do so while at the same time claiming it doesn't exist.