Consider the following countries:
- 1.Australia
- 2.Canada
- 3.China
- 4.India
- 5.Japan
- 6.USA
Which of the above are among the ‘free-trade partners’ of ASEAN?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 1, 3, 4 and 5
At the time of the exam, ASEAN had free trade agreements with Australia (with New Zealand), China, Japan, South Korea and India. Canada and the USA were not among ASEAN's free-trade partners, so the correct set is 1, 3, 4 and 5.
- ✓ 1. Australia (together with New Zealand) is a party to the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area, AANZFTA.
- ✗ 2. Canada had no free trade agreement with ASEAN in the list of ASEAN's FTAs published in 2018.
- ✓ 3. China is a partner in the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, ACFTA.
- ✓ 4. India is a partner in the ASEAN-India Free Trade Area, AIFTA.
- ✓ 5. Japan is a partner in the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership, AJCEP.
- ✗ 6. The USA does not appear in ASEAN's list of free trade agreements with dialogue partners.
Remember · ASEAN's FTA partners (as in 2018): China, Japan, South Korea, India, and Australia-New Zealand. Not Canada, not the USA.
Sources
- ASEAN Secretariat, Free Trade Agreements (page as archived in 2018) ↗ · reference work “2. ASEAN- Australia- New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) : A Region-to-Region Economic Engagement 3. ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) : Building Strong Economic Partnerships … 4. ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership (AJCEP) : Building Strong Economic Partnerships 5. ASEAN-Korea free Trade Area (AKFTA) : Building Strong Economic Partnerships 6. ASEAN-India Free Trade Area (AIFTA)”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·