Strategies of China and India for Asia-Pacific Economic Development

This essay delves into the economic development strategies employed by China and India within the Asia-Pacific region, exploring their effectiveness in enhancing regional and global political power. The analysis incorporates the political theories of liberalism and realism to evaluate the strategies' implementation and impact. China's strategies include shifting labor from agriculture to industry, implementing policies like the One Child policy, scaling up production and exports, attracting FDI, and embracing indigenous innovation and economic mercantilism. India focuses on technology, agriculture, infrastructure investment, and poverty alleviation programs. The essay highlights how these countries have leveraged their economic policies to gain prominence, considering the implications of liberalism and realism in their approaches. The essay also analyzes the success of these strategies, providing a comparative analysis of the two nations' approaches to economic development.

Running head: STRATEGIES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN ASIA-PACIFIC
Strategies for Economic Development in Asia-Pacific
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

1STRATEGIES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN ASIA PACIFIC
The term Asia-Pacific refers to part of the world that is situated near the Western
Pacific Ocean which is inclusive of East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia (Chow 2017).
The term have risen in popularity since the latter half of 1980 in the realms of commerce and
politics. The economies of the regions have been found to be heterogeneous however the
individual nations in the zone are mostly emerging markets which is experiencing the rapid
growth (Huang 2016). It is a prosperous region of the world where economic growth is taking
place and where countries have experienced a digital revolution that has helped in the
advancement of the countries. This essay throws light on the specific strategies which have
been adopted by China and India for bringing about their economic development that have
helped them in enhancing their power within global politics, with special reference to two
important political theories, that of liberalism and realism. This essay elaborates on the
effectiveness of the strategies which have been adopted by China and India.
Liberalism is a political theory that entails the introduction of policies and programs
based on the consent of the people who are being governed and where equality before the law
is to be of paramount consideration when implementing political programs and policies
(Huang 2016). Realism on the other hand is a political philosophy whereby constraints are
placed on the practice of politics owing to the absence of any central authority above
government or state (Lippit 2018). A number of strategies have been taken recourse to by the
countries belonging to the Asia-Pacific region that have augmented their economic
development, and which are in keeping with the philosophy of liberalism such as India and
China. The surplus labour of China belonging to traditional agricultural sector has been
shifted to progressive industrial sector that have promoted the industrialization of China
(Lippit 2018). The country has taken the help of the development policies such as the One
Child policy which has helped with population control and the Guangzhong-Tianshu plan that
has facilitated technological research, growth and development in China leading to economic

2STRATEGIES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN ASIA PACIFIC
development in the country, in turn, a move that has been backed considerably by the people
of the country (Huang 2016). China has scaled up the production along with export basket
that has created the way for the prosperity of the country. It has helped in bringing about
improvement in investment climate that have facilitated the growth within the framework of
the country. The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) have helped in complementing the
domestic investment of the country and it has helped in overcoming the shortage of capital in
country. The export productivity of China are in line with the advanced economies of the
world that have helped it in gaining a prominent position among the other countries of the
world. China has undergone strongest growth in the area of scientific research that have
enabled it in surpassing other countries of the world. The exports of China have faced the
rapid growth since 1990 and the market share of the country is something that has increased
tremendously within Japan and USA.
China has made use of the development strategy of Great Leap Forward (GLF) that
has brought about industrialization of the high scale for the economy. The rural communities
are allowed to partake of collective cultivation which have aided in bringing about the
economic development of the country (Sun 2018). The urban communities have set up the
industrial workshops in backyards that have developed the economy. The industrial reforms
have been implemented in the country which has promoted the aspect of the collective global
production. China has made strategic decision of moving away from commodity-based
production facilities towards that of “China Inc”. China Inc is a growth strategy that has
helped Chinese firms which is at expense of the foreign firms. It has adopted the process of
“indigenous innovation” that has enabled Chinese firms in moving up value chain to the
production activities that bear the higher value. China has embraced the theory of economic
mercantilism on the large scale that has helped in providing assistance to the Chinese firms
(Chow 2017). It has on the other hand made the discrimination against the foreign

3STRATEGIES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN ASIA PACIFIC
establishments who are trying to compete with China. It has used various kinds of policies
like “forced localization” that have accelerated the economic development of the region. The
companies of other countries like US are compelled to build the R & D facilities so that they
can enter the market of China. There are other kinds of mercantilist policies which have been
brought about in China like currency manipulation and discriminatory government
procurement activities that have helped in economic growth of the country (Su & Tao 2017).
The state-owned enterprises have been able to reap the benefits and they have been able to
make the profits with the help of the discriminatory policies in the country. The country has
been able to attract more than that of one-tenth of the global FDI projects in the year 2012
that have helped the country in attracting $ 120 billion in the realm of inbound FDI (Chow
2017).
The specialization patterns of India are in tandem with the wealthier economies of the
world. India has built the prominent research records pertaining to the material sciences that
have aided in the development of the country. Export of the information and technology has
helped in driving economic success of India and it has cemented the position of the country
among the other countries of the world (Kumari & Sharma 2017). India has made the
tremendous progress in the area of technology and it has targeted the productivity that has
spelled the success for the country. The country has however laid the emphasis on
agricultural sector that have ensured the growth of the country. The increased investment in
research has helped in the creation of genetically modified seeds that have facilitated the
farming in the country (Kumari and Sharma 2017).
India has made use of the latest farming along with irrigation techniques that have
helped in bringing about improvements in the sector of agriculture. India have invested in the
infrastructure like irrigation and roads that have aided in the economic development of the
country. The country has facilitated farming by creating farmer co-operatives that have

4STRATEGIES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN ASIA PACIFIC
helped in taking care of the agriculture in the country (Pattanaik 2017). The government has
facilitated leasing of land in the long term that has helped in providing the benefits for the
farmers in the country. The strategy of India at the initial stage laid emphasis on domestic
industries and it wants to reduce the dependence on the foreign products (Ghosh 2017). The
country has taken recourse to Five Year Plans that has enabled the economic development of
the country. It has helped the country in addressing the problem of rising population and
dearth of the jobs in the country. Poverty alleviation is an important strategy of the country
that it has implemented and which can aid it in enhancing the power within the framework of
the regional politics. The country has used poverty alleviation programmes that can bring
about the development of the country (Kumari and Sharma 2017). The poverty alleviation
programs that have been undertaken by the Indian administration are those that have been
introduced in keeping with the philosophy of liberalism for the most part. The Indian
administration is concerned about the number of people that reside in this country below the
poverty line and to ensure that the company is well on its way to the road of economic
development, poverty alleviation programs have been undertaken, with the help of Indian
civil society in particular, in order to ensure that poverty is eradicated as much as possible in
the various cities and towns of the country.
The policies that have been introduced and implemented by the countries of the Asia
Pacific region such as India and China when it comes to the matter of economic development
are policies that are both in keeping with the concept of liberalism for the most part. It is the
political philosophy of liberalism that requires the development policies to be undertaken in a
way that is in keeping with the consent of the public. Liberalism entails equality before the
law, and it also entails undertaking the types of policies and practices that are designed to
ensure economic wellbeing for the masses (Chow 2017). The policies that have been
undertaken by the Chinese administration for economic growth and development are those

5STRATEGIES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN ASIA PACIFIC
that have been keeping with the philosophy of liberalism for the most part. Yet, when it
comes to a policy such as the One Child Policy, a policy that is aimed at population control it
the philosophy of realism that is seen to come into play. As such, it is important to remember
in this context, that, the political regime in China is authoritarian for the most part, and that it
does not consider the consent of the public to be too important at the time of implementing
decisions that are designed for public benefit and welfare (Huang 2016). Hence, it is for this
reason alone that the strategy of a One Child Policy is something that the Chinese
government has been able to implement. It has forcefully introduced the type of restrictions
that need to be adhered to in the area of birth control, a measure that is entirely in keeping
with the theory of realism rather than liberalism.
India on the other hand has concerned itself solely with the theory of liberalism when
undertaking its various policies in pursuit of economic development. It has not introduced a
single policy or measure that is not in keeping with the consent of the general public and as
such, all of the policies that have been introduced for public welfare in India are policies that
are aimed at public wellbeing. Economic development in a country like India is not as fast
paced as it is when compared to China. In spite of this, the policies and programs introduced
for economic welfare in India are conducted in keeping with the welfare of the public in
mind. The wellbeing of farmers, who form the majority of the Indian population, is
something that has been especially taken into consideration by the government of India, at the
time of introducing policies for economic development (Ghosh 2017). As has been
mentioned in the discussion undertaken above, techniques to improve the methods of
irrigation as deployed by the Indian farmers, and the establishment of farmers cooperatives
across the length and breadth of the country of India, are measures that are aimed at the
wellbeing of the farmers and of the Indian population in general, and are thus in keeping with
the tenets of the political philosophy of liberalism (Ghosh 2017).

6STRATEGIES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN ASIA PACIFIC
In conclusion it can be stated that the strategic polices and measures that have been
undertaken by countries such as China and India for economic development are measures that
are designed for public welfare and wellbeing, which are meant to ensure economic growth
and progress in every sense of the term, and which have been implemented by adhering to the
political philosophy of liberalism. With respect to the One Child Policy of China, a key
policy that has helped the country in the area of population growth and which has assured
economic development as well, it appears that China has endorsed the theory of realism,
given that people in China have no choice but to adhere to this rule, regardless of whether or
not they agree with it. By and large though, the economic policies of India and China are
meant to ensure public wellbeing and welfare, and have succeeded in generating plenty of
revenue for the state while creating the sort of economic conditions that are needed for the
population of both countries to conduct their day to day lives with the financial security and
harmony that is desired.

7STRATEGIES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN ASIA PACIFIC
References
Chow, G.C., 2017. Capital formation and economic growth in China (pp. 1186-1221). Brill.
Ghosh, M., 2017. Infrastructure and development in Rural India. Margin: The Journal of
Applied Economic Research, 11(3), pp.256-289.
Huang, C.J., 2016. Is corruption bad for economic growth? Evidence from Asia-Pacific
countries. The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, 35, pp.247-256.
Kumari, A. and Sharma, A.K., 2017. Physical & social infrastructure in India & its
relationship with economic development. World Development Perspectives, 5, pp.30-33.
Lippit, V.D., 2018. The economic development of China (Vol. 9). Routledge.
Pattanaik, B.K., 2017. State and Development: A Contemporary Perspective. Political
Economy Journal of India, 26(2), p.iii.
Su, F. and Tao, R., 2017. The China model withering? Institutional roots of China’s local
developmentalism. Urban Studies, 54(1), pp.230-250.
Sun, H., 2018. Foreign investment and economic development in China: 1979-1996.
Routledge.