This is exactly what it means for a country to experience development they must be more of a producing nation than an importing nation because depending on what other countries produce can only cripple the economy of the country it doesn't add to the GDP of the nation. The underdeveloped countries are used as dumping grounds for the developed and the developing countries that is why you see most of the underdeveloped countries finding it difficult to think of things they need to produce to attract other investors from investing in their country or buying things from them and it keeps them from getting into debt because they have nothing to sell to develop their economy.
While that is what it means, these days every nation makes a debt, it is not unheard of. The trick is to get debt enough to pay off in the future. Well, a billion dollars can be paid today right? Let's say you are a nation who has to pay a billion dollars, you can either pay that now, or can pay that in 10 years, isn't that better? Due to inflation and using that for growth, you could do better.
This is why it's smarter to just make sure that you are dealing with something much better in the future easier to pay. That is what most nations needs to do, and I think that's the best way. I get that some make more than they should, like USA, who has debts beyond what they can pay, that is not the way, that will be bad for them.