Foreign trade generates a monetary relationship between countries, because a country would have to pay the price of commodities with the currency of the country she had imported from, or with a currency acceptable to that country.

A country would also have to receive payment for commodities she sells in her own currency or in the currency of her choice. This is what generates a monetary relationship between various countries.

There is also the exchange of commodities or visible imports and exports. Additionally there is the exchange of services or what are known as invisible imports and exports, these include all types of transport, such as cargo and passenger transport, international shipping and air freight, postal charges, international telegraphic and telephone costs, all types of commercial services, and all the commissions and brokerage charges, as well as all services related to the tourist industry. When a tourist visits a foreign country, and spends some of his income there, He would also be taking some of his property with him. He would however, be taking from his country that which would enable Him to spend in the country He is visiting, either by way of a prior arrangement to spend a specific amount of that country’s currency, which his country would undertake to cover with her own currency, or an arrangement to spend a sum of a currency that is acceptable to that country, subject to the availability of such a currency in his country.

In order to pay for the cost of imports, we may either offer our local currency in order to buy foreign currency, or commodities may be offered in foreign countries in order to obtain their currencies. The acquisition of foreign currency is therefore essential for the State in order to generate trade relationships, or economic relationships with other countries.

However, the state’s currency should not be jeopardised by making it susceptible to instability, or by undermining its credibility, just for the sake of establishing trade or economic relationships. Rather our control over foreign economic relationships, whether these were trade relationships or otherwise, should be one of the fundamentals of these monetary relationships. This would facilitate the preservation of the state’s currency and, at the same time, our acquisition of the foreign currencies that are needed. In order to help achieve such a policy, the State ought to avoid taking up short or long term loans, for these would be one of the matters that cause instability in it’s currency market and may decrease the value of it’s currency.