CNSnews
Anthony B. Kim | August 9, 2018 | 9:21 AM EDT
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https://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/anthony-b-kim/will-pakistan-get-caught-chinas-debt-trap-diplomacyPakistan has received 12 bailouts from the International Monetary Fund since the late 1980s as a result of debt blowouts and balance-of-payment imbalances.
Now, the country’s 13th bailout from the IMF—expected to be the largest so far—is on the horizon. And China is a key player as former cricket star Imran Khan of Pakistan’s PTI party is set to become prime minister next week.
Despite some efforts to reform and liberalize its economy, Pakistan remains mired in chronic underdevelopment. According to the Index of Economic Freedom, the Pakistani economy is “mostly unfree,†ranking 131st out of 180 economies scored in the 2018 edition.
