UPSC CSE Prelims
Question 40
Consider the following countries :
- Australia
- Canada
- China
- India
- Japan
- USA
Which of the above are among the 'free-trade partners' of ASEAN ?
View correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Correct Option: C
Explanation: For ASEAN’s major free-trade partnerships in the 2018 context, Australia, China, India and Japan are covered, whereas Canada and the United States were not ASEAN FTA partners.
Statement/Pair-wise Analysis:
Statement/Item 1: Correct - ASEAN–Australia–New Zealand FTA included Australia.
Statement/Item 2: Incorrect - Canada was not an ASEAN free-trade partner in the referenced framework.
Statement/Item 3: Correct - ASEAN–China Free Trade Area covered China.
Statement/Item 4: Correct - The ASEAN–India FTA covered India.
Statement/Item 5: Correct - The ASEAN–Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership covered Japan.
Statement/Item 6: Incorrect - The US did not have an ASEAN-wide FTA at the time.
Option-wise Analysis:
A: Incorrect - includes incorrect statement/item 2; omits correct statement/item 3.
B: Incorrect - includes incorrect statement/item 6; omits correct statement/item 1.
C: Correct - includes all and only the true statements/items.
D: Incorrect - includes incorrect statement/items 2, 6; omits correct statement/items 1, 5.