Question map
India 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.
Explanation
India has expressed interest in APEC membership since the mid-1990s but has not been included[1], which means India is not a member of APEC. Regarding ASEAN, ASEAN was formed by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand in 1967[2], and India is not listed as a member country. While India has economic cooperation with ASEAN through agreements, it is not a member of the organization itself. However, the East Asia Summit is a forum of 18 countries of the Asia-Pacific region (including India)[3], confirming that India is indeed a member of the EAS. Therefore, among the three organizations mentioned, India is only a member of the East Asia Summit, making option B (3 only) the correct answer.
Sources- [1] https://asiasociety.org/policy-institute/IndiaAPEC
- [2] https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/156295/adbi-wp440.pdf
- [3] Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 18: International Economic Institutions > East Asia Summit (EAS) > p. 550
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis is a classic 'Membership vs. Partnership' trap. UPSC exploits the confusion between India being a 'Strategic Partner' (ASEAN) or an 'Aspirant' (APEC) versus a full 'Member' (EAS). The strategy is binary: for every major acronym, explicitly tag India as 'Member', 'Observer', or 'Dialogue Partner'—never assume engagement equals membership.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Explicitly states India's long-standing interest in joining APEC but indicates it has not been included.
- Directly addresses India's membership status in APEC.
- Defines APEC as an inter-governmental forum for a specific set of 21 member economies.
- Implies membership is limited to the listed member economies (India is not listed among them in the provided excerpt).
- Notes that APEC placed a moratorium on new membership after 1998, explaining why India has not been added.
- Provides context on membership expansion and that new additions have been halted.
Contains a multiple-choice question that lists APEC, ASEAN and East Asia Summit (EAS) and asks which India is a member of, implying the textbook treats India’s membership status in APEC as a testable fact.
A student could recall or check the intended correct option from the book (or compare with a world/regional membership list) to infer whether India belongs to APEC.
States that the East Asia Summit is a forum of Asia‑Pacific countries 'including India', providing an explicit example of a regional Asia‑Pacific body that does include India.
Use this pattern (EAS includes India) to contrast with APEC membership lists: if EAS includes India but APEC’s member list (from a basic external list) does not, that suggests India is not in APEC.
Describes India's 'Act East' policy aimed at engaging the Asia‑Pacific region, showing India’s regional engagement does not equate to membership of every Asia‑Pacific institution.
Combine this with a map or list of regional organisations to judge that active engagement (policy) is distinct from formal membership (so India might engage Asia‑Pacific bodies without being an APEC member).
Lists the Asia‑Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) and explicitly names India as a member, giving an example of a regional Asia‑Pacific trade group that does include India.
Compare APTA’s membership (includes India) with APEC’s membership (external list); differing membership patterns across Asia‑Pacific bodies can help test whether India is in APEC.
Notes that India is not a member of OECD despite being a major economy, illustrating that major economies are not automatically members of all international economic institutions.
Apply this general rule: India can be excluded from prominent economic groupings; therefore membership in APEC must be checked against membership lists rather than assumed.
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