Prelims 2015 · archive
EasyIndia is a 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.
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 3 only
India belongs only to the East Asia Summit, which it has been part of since its launch in December 2005. It is not a member of APEC. It is not a member of ASEAN either; it is a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN.
- ✗ 1. APEC is made up of 21 Pacific Rim member economies, including Australia, China, Japan, Russia and the United States. India is not on the list and is not a member.
- ✗ 2. ASEAN had 10 members, all in South-East Asia: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. India is not among them. It is a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN, not a member.
- ✓ 3. The East Asia Summit is a leaders-led forum launched in December 2005. It is made up of the 10 ASEAN countries plus India, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Russia and China.
- • Since then ASEAN has since grown: Timor-Leste was admitted as its 11th member in 2025. India's position is unchanged. It is an East Asia Summit participant, but a member of neither APEC nor ASEAN.
Remember · India is in the East Asia Summit (since 2005) but not in APEC or ASEAN. With ASEAN it is only a Dialogue Partner.
Sources
- MEA – Overview of ASEAN-India Relations (EAS process) ↗ “The most important among the ASEAN-led frameworks is the EAS which is a Leaders-led forum, launched in December 2005, made up of leaders from the 10 ASEAN countries and India, US, Australia, New Zealand, RoK, Japan, Russia, China. … Currently, it has 10 members which include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.”
- APEC – Member Economies ↗ · reference work “Australia Brunei Darussalam Canada Chile China Hong Kong, China Indonesia Japan Korea Malaysia Mexico New Zealand Papua New Guinea Peru Philippines Russia Singapore Chinese Taipei Thailand United States Viet Nam”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2015, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·