Pakistan set for China exports increase

Citation

(2007), "Pakistan set for China exports increase", Strategic Direction, Vol. 23 No. 11. https://doi.org/10.1108/sd.2007.05623kab.001

Pakistan set for China exports increase

According to a report published by the Asia Observer (www.asiaobserver.com), a new trade agreement will see Pakistan’s exports to China grow by $1 billion each year. This comes on the back of a steady increase in recent years in China’s imports from Pakistan. In 2006, Chinese statistics recorded a 32 percent growth from the previous year and between July 2006 and March 2007, exports from Pakistan to China totaled $407 million. Cotton and fabrics, cotton waste, leather, ores and non-ferrous metals, chemicals and fish are among the chief exports. In addition to the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the two countries have embarked on a joint study into developing a five-year program that will provide the foundations for a further strengthening of trade relations.

UN seeks food safety improvements

Growing concern about the safety of food has led the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) pushing for more effective safety mechanisms and tighter control of producers and traders. A report published by Dawn (www.dawn.com) points out that incidents relating to food safety are often the result of ignorance about food safety requirements or because of the use of unsanctioned additives or veterinary drugs. The two UN agencies will provide scientific advice and support to governments to help develop better procedures for food inspection, certification, diagnosis of problems and emergency response. The WHO states that poor food safety can result in higher occurrence of problems and diseases caused by micro-organisms, chemicals or illegal additives. While food safety is a particular problem in developing countries, the disjointed nature of safety systems means that many developed countries experience similar problems. WHO and FAO support can help nations to develop integrated safety systems that function effectively right across the food chain, although the report points out that substantial long term investment is a likely requirement in order for this to occur.

Demand for carbon fiber expected to soar

The airline and auto industries will lead rapidly growing demand for carbon fiber, a report published by the Times Online (www.timesonline.co.uk) claims. The airline industry accounts for a fifth of the world’s carbon fiber usage and analysts believe that current consumption of 28,000 tons per annum could increase 500-fold in the coming years. That the product is light, rust-proof, much stronger than steel and a potential leader in energy efficiency has led to increased adoption within a range of other industries such as the manufacture of golf clubs, fishing rods and bullet proof vests. It is also used in the production of windmill sails and it is predicted that windmill industry demand for carbon fiber will double by 2010. The report points out that a manageable price at this stage is essential for carbon fiber’s growth and that this could lead to the technology being traded as a commodity on world markets.

Technology essential for poverty escape

An annual study undertaken by the UN trade and development agency Unctad believes that a focus on science, technology and innovation is vital if poor countries are to escape from the poverty trap and catch up with other nations. Despite this, the organization points out that technology currently enjoys only a minor role in poverty reduction strategies and states that under 4 percent of World Bank lending has been used for science and technology projects in the last 25 years. As a result, only a handful of the world’s 50 poorest countries are currently using science and technology as the basis for economic growth and moving to create the necessary foundations for technological development to occur. The report, as published by the BBC (www.bbc.co.uk), calls for both an increase and a balancing of aid and suggests that overseas companies could do much more to help transfer technological knowledge to lesser developed nations. This might also then help slow down the brain drain that has led to more than one in six graduates from poorer countries pursue their careers in an industrialized nation.