Pakistan will seek an expansion of its 30 billion yuan swap line with China when the facility expires in 2027, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said, adding he expects a US response on a proposed $10bn exchange stabilisation тАЛfacility within two months.
The country remains reliant on external financing to bolster foreign exchange reserves and meet debt repayments, тАМmaking support from China, Gulf states and multilateral lenders key to maintaining economic stability and investor confidence.
Aurangzeb said the entire 30bn yuan swap line from China had been fully drawn, adding that the government had yet to decide how much additional financing it would seek when the facility тАЛcomes up for renewal.
тАЬThey were open to it, but there is a process which has to be followed,тАЭ said тАЛAurangzeb, referring to recent meetings with his Chinese counterpart and the countryтАЩs central bank governor.
тАЬWe do тБаplan to make a formal request at the time of the renewal.тАЭ
Meanwhile, Aurangzeb said he expected a response within two months тАЛto PakistanтАЩs request for a $10bn exchange stabilisation facility from Washington, adding that the government was also in talks with the Export-Import тАЛBank of the United States (EXIM) and the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).
EXIM financing could support aircraft purchases from Boeing by Pakistan International Airlines now that the national carrier is privatised, while DFC could help fund a planned $5bn programme to upgrade the countryтАЩs oil refineries.
Asked whether there were any тАЛconcerns about simultaneously seeking additional support from the US and China, Aurangzeb said it was an тАЬand-andтАЭ discussion.
тАЬChina has been a long-standing strategic partner for us тАж and we have very good, at the leadership level now, understanding and relationship with the Trump administration,тАЭ he said.
тАЬWe are very fortunate to have this kind of relationship with both important economic and superpowers.тАЭ
The US Treasury, DFC and EXIM did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Asked about elevated crude oil prices following the latest Middle East conflict, which began in February, Aurangzeb said Pakistan had navigated the initial price spike after US and Israeli strikes on Iran relatively well, but cautioned that the outlook had тАЛbecome more uncertain.
тАЬIf this conflict тАЛgoes into, unfortunately, November or тБаDecember, you know, this is something which will be an area of concern for us,тАЭ he said, adding prolonged disruption could put at risk the governmentтАЩs 4pc growth target for the fiscal тАЛyear.
Pakistan had secured sufficient oil stocks to cover its needs through September and was well positioned тАЛfor October, he тБаsaid, adding an institutionalised mechanism was now reviewing the situation on a daily basis. Planning for November supplies was already under way.
Nonetheless, Aurangzeb said the government had no plans to seek additional International Monetary Fund (IMF) financing or emergency support from the Washington-based lender.
тАЬAs of now, our considered тБаview is тАЛthat itтАЩs manageable.тАЭ
An IMF mission is due next week for the fourth тАЛreview of PakistanтАЩs $7bn programme and the third review of its Resilience and Sustainability Facility.
тАЬFrom our perspective, we are in good stead with the quantitative benchmarks, and тАЛwe are largely compliant with the structural benchmarks,тАЭ he said.
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