Looking towards China

Published January 2, 2023
Salim Raza, former SBP governor
Salim Raza, former SBP governor

Geo-political and international financial developments, and our own credit downgrading, will limit access to new foreign debt and prevent the resumption of our cripplingly import-dependent economic growth. The recovery we can now sustain will rely on mobilising our own long-neglected resources. Agriculture, labour skills, SMEs as the core of domestic supply chains, and technical education — all faded in significance as internationally uncompetitive but domestically protected, large businesses entrenched influence within political power. Governmental oversight and any responsible measure of central planning came to be shunned, with absurd outcomes — e.g. textiles expanded capacity, while cotton production fell — from the 13m bales we produced and that the industry needs to 7m. The balance represents imports this year, possibly $2.5bn.

We will need to revive development banks, a proven cornerstone for the development of agriculture and SME sectors in emerging markets. Critically, we will need to build on CPEC and attract Chinese investment, albeit market seeking, but from our perspective, to acquire technology we direly need in agriculture (micro-irrigation devices; agri-machinery) and in the production of intermediate goods (parts, components, chemicals) that we import at present.

Globalisation provided significant technology transfer to domestic businesses across Asia — but bypassed us. Working with Chinese companies within Pakistan, we can set the ball rolling to deepen our shallow, largely assembly-type appliances and auto manufacturing, improve agri productivity and bolster agri goods exports.

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, January 2nd, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

THE Punjab government would be keen to forget its first year of treating smog as ‘a year-round epidemic’ instead...
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.