Question 1

The East Asia Summit only includes East Asian and Southeast Asian countries.

Accepted Answer

The EAS includes 11 ASEAN members plus 8 global dialogue partners, which prominently features non-Asian countries like the United States, Russia, Australia, and New Zealand.

Question 2

The EAS Chairmanship rotates annually among all participating member nations, much like the G20 or BRICS.

Accepted Answer

The Chair of the EAS is exclusively held by the ASEAN member state that holds the ASEAN Chairmanship for that specific year (e.g., Malaysia in 2025, the Philippines in 2026).

Question 3

Consider the following statements regarding the 20th East Asia Summit (EAS) held in 2025:
1. Timor-Leste participated as the newest member, bringing the total membership of the grouping to 19.
2. India announced the year 2026 as the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation during the summit.
3. The Chair of the EAS rotates alphabetically among all 19 participating member nations.
How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

(b) Only two — Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Timor-Leste officially joined the EAS following its ASEAN accession in October 2025, making it the 19th member. India proposed the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation for 2026 and an EAS Maritime Heritage Festival in Lothal. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Chairmanship of the EAS does not rotate among all 19 members; it is exclusively held by the ASEAN member state chairing ASEAN that year.

Question 4

Match List I (EAS Initiatives/Declarations) with List II (Associated Context/Details):

List I
A. Kuala Lumpur Declaration 2025
B. EAS Maritime Heritage Festival
C. ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation
D. Open Session Guest Briefings

List II
1. Proposed by India to be held in Lothal, Gujarat
2. Designated year announced by EAM S. Jaishankar for 2026
3. Adopted to mark the 20th Anniversary of the EAS
4. Addressed by BRICS and G20 Chairs (Brazil and South Africa)

Select the correct answer code:

Accepted Answer

(a) A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4 — The Kuala Lumpur Declaration was specifically adopted for the 20th Anniversary (A-3). India proposed hosting the EAS Maritime Heritage Festival in the ancient port city of Lothal (B-1). The year 2026 was announced as the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation (C-2). The Open Session uniquely featured briefings by Brazil (BRICS) and South Africa (G20) to discuss economic resilience (D-4).

Question 5

Assertion (A): The United States and Russia are both participating members of the East Asia Summit (EAS).
Reason (R): The EAS was established in 2005 with 18 founding members to ensure a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.
Select the correct answer:

Accepted Answer

(c) A is true but R is false — Assertion (A) is true; both the US and Russia are dialogue partners and full members of the EAS. Reason (R) is false because the EAS was established in 2005 with only 16 founding members. The United States and Russia did not join at the inception; they formally joined the EAS later in 2011, expanding the membership to 18 (and subsequently 19 in 2025 with Timor-Leste).

India's Participation in 20th East Asia Summit

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