UPSC Prelims 2015 · Question 57 of 98

UPSC Prelims 2015 question on India Regional Groupings Membership

India is member of which among the following?

1. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

2. Association of South-East Asian Nations

3. East Asia Summit

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 3 only
  3. 1, 2 and 3
  4. India is a member of none of them
Show answer

Answer: B. 3 only

Verdict

The answer is 3 only. India is a member of the East Asia Summit but not of APEC or ASEAN.

Analysis

Statement 3 is CORRECT. The East Asia Summit comprises the ten ASEAN countries together with Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the United States and Russia. Statement 2 is INCORRECT for an obvious reason: ASEAN is the Association of South-East Asian Nations and India is not a South-East Asian country, though it is a dialogue partner. Statement 1 is INCORRECT. India has long sought membership of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation but has not been admitted.

Source

Official material on the East Asia Summit.

How to crack it

Read the name of the grouping as a geographical eligibility test wherever possible, since ASEAN's own title excludes India by definition. Then keep three tiers straight for every regional body: full member, dialogue partner and observer, because UPSC builds distractors out of the lower tiers. India's position in the Indo-Pacific architecture is a running theme under the Act East policy, so its exact status in APEC, ASEAN, EAS, ARF and RCEP is worth tabulating once.

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