Q. India is a member of which of the following?

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Answer: (b) 3 only

India is a member of the East Asia Summit.
India is a member of ASEAN+6, not the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
India is also not a member of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC).

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim.
APEC started in 1989, in response to the growing interdependence of Asia-Pacific economies and the advent of regional trade blocs in other parts of the world.
It aims to promote free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region
It aimed to establish new markets for agricultural products and raw materials beyond Europe.
APEC is headquartered in Singapore.
APEC’s 21 member economies are Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; People’s Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; The Philippines; The Russian Federation; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States of America; Vietnam.
The criterion for membership, however, is that each member must be an independent economic entity, rather than a sovereign state.

Significance of APEC:

Since its formation, the grouping championed the lowering of trade tariffs, free trade, and economic liberalisation.
As per the US State Department, during its first five years of operation, APEC established its core objectives.
In the Seoul Declaration (1991), APEC member economies proclaimed the creation of a liberalised free trade area around the Pacific Rim as the principal objective of the organisation.
APEC accounts for nearly 62 per cent of global GDP and nearly half of global trade.

India’s Willingness to Join the APEC Grouping:

India, which presently has ‘observer’ status, has been very keen to join the economic grouping as a full member.
- India has expressed interest in joining APEC, and made a formal request in 1991.
- The request to join was based on India’s geographical location, the potential size of the economy, and degree of trade interaction with the Asia-Pacific.
India Needs APEC because
- Strength of the grouping – The grouping represents more than a third of the world population, 47% of global trade and 60% of world GDP.
- Aspiration of India – India aspires to become a $5 trillion economy and requires $1 trillion for investment in infrastructure.
  - Outside the west Europe, most of the capital surplus nations are in Asia Pacific which can quench India’s thirst for investment.
- Natural Corollary to “Act East” Policy – Indian has already become a member of SCO. Joining APEC is a natural corollary to Act East Policy of India.

Why is India not a Part of the APEC Grouping?

Although many members have been in favour of the inclusion of India, some opposed the idea citing the economic reforms which took place in the country and claiming that it has ‘protectionist instincts’.
- APEC’s guiding motive was to resist protectionist policies by individual member states, and the promotion of trade liberalisation and economic cooperation within the affiliated Asia-Pacific economies.
- By that description, India did not seem to fit in.
The main impediment, apparently, has been the opposition of some participants who have held India’s record on economic reforms and WTO engagement to be unsatisfactory and unworthy of meriting inclusion as a member in the grouping.
Another reason for not making India part of the grouping was a membership freeze which came into force in 1997. However, it was not extended in 2012.
There has been a renewed push to grant membership status to India.
A majority of members now believe that India must be brought into the fold for it has shown progress in reforming and liberalising its economy.
Granting India membership status may also act as a catalyst for trade reform among emerging economies.
Moreover, India’s maritime strength and strong strategic relations with the region’s major powers, member states point out, could be used to bring strategic balance within the grouping.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising ten countries in Southeast Asia.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established in 1967 with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration).
The ASEAN promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational, and socio-cultural integration among its members and other countries in Asia.
The motto of ASEAN is “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”.
Secretariat: ASEAN Secretariat is located in Jakarta, Indonesia.
ASEAN countries have a total population of 662 million people and a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of $3.2 trillion as of 2022.
Fundamental principles of ASEAN are:
- Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations.
- The right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion, or coercion.
- Non-interference in the internal affairs of one another.
- Settlement of differences or disputes in a peaceful manner.
- Renunciation of the threat or use of force.
- Effective cooperation among themselves.

The East Asia Summit (EAS) established in 2005 is a forum of 18 regional leaders for strategic dialogue and cooperation on the key political, security, and economic challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region.
The EAS is the only leader-led forum in the Indo-Pacific that brings together all key partners to discuss political, security and economic issues of strategic importance.
The EAS operates on the principles of openness, inclusiveness, respect for international law, ASEAN centrality, and ASEAN’s role as the driving force.
The idea of an East Asia Grouping was first proposed by then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1991.
- The first summit was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 14 December 2005.
The EAS comprises the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam – along with 8 members Australia, China, Japan, India, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States.