Mao Keji | मुखर्जी
“In terms of economic development, there are significant differences among South Asian countries. India, as an agricultural-industrial power, has established a relatively comprehensive industrial system and possesses the capacity for self-sufficiency in equipment. It also has a high level of technological development, ranking among the top three or four in the world. The other South Asian countries, except for Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, which have some light textile and food industries, are primarily underdeveloped agricultural (fishing) nations, and their technological capabilities are far inferior to those of India.” The above quote is from the 1990 publication Research on the Economic Development Strategies of South Asian Countries, a key social science research project under China’s 6th Five-Year Plan. At that time, China and India had nearly identical per capita GDPs, so the book’s flattering remarks about India are not surprising. However, with China’s per capita GDP now more than five times that of India, reading those discussions today feels like stepping into a different era, almost unrecognizable.
