Yeah, balancing both budget and trade imbalance (better yet, a trade surplus) should take a country out of poverty over time. South Korea turned from agrarian to massive tech exporter over the time talked about. I'm writing this comment on a Samsung phone BTW. Not every country can have a trade surplus though, that part is a zero sum game. Having your own currency is probably important with a trade deficit, so exchange rate can be used to prevent outflow of currency used locally. That and tarrifs.