UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Superpower summit
Q1. Among the headline commercial outcomes announced at the May 2026 Trump-Xi Beijing summit, which one of the following was the flagship US civil-aviation export commitment secured from China?
- A. China's purchase of 200 Boeing commercial aircraft
- B. China's purchase of 25 million tonnes of US soybeans
- C. Renewal of listings of over 400 US beef facilities
- D. Resumption of Nvidia advanced-chip imports by Chinese firms
Q2. At the 2026 Beijing summit, the phrase 'constructive relationship of strategic stability' most precisely denoted which one of the following?
- A. The overarching framework both sides adopted to guide US-China ties for the coming years
- B. A binding mutual-defence pact covering the Taiwan Strait
- C. A fixed-tariff schedule permanently replacing all existing duties
- D. A currency-swap arrangement between the two central banks
Q3. The opening tranche of US tariffs that triggered the 2018 US-China trade war was imposed solely on the strength of an investigation conducted under which US statutory provision?
- A. Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974
- B. Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962
- C. Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974
- D. Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930
Q4. With reference to the first tranche of US tariffs of July 2018 and China's immediate response, consider the following statements:
1. The US action of July 2018 covered about $34 billion of Chinese imports and largely targeted goods linked to the 'Made in China 2025' plan.
2. China retaliated by matching the US move with 25% tariffs on about $34 billion of US goods, concentrated on agricultural and automotive exports.
3. The July 2018 US tariffs were deliberately focused on mass-market consumer goods such as cell phones and laptops.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The US action of July 2018 covered about $34 billion of Chinese imports and largely targeted goods linked to the 'Made in China 2025' plan.
- China retaliated by matching the US move with 25% tariffs on about $34 billion of US goods, concentrated on agricultural and automotive exports.
- The July 2018 US tariffs were deliberately focused on mass-market consumer goods such as cell phones and laptops.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q5. The 2019 US arms package to Taiwan, repeatedly cited as a friction point in US-China ties, included how many F-16C/D fighter jets?
Q6. The Taiwan Relations Act, which frames US non-diplomatic relations with Taiwan and the supply of arms of a defensive character, was enacted by which authority and in which year?
- A. The US Congress in 1979
- B. The US Congress in 1972
- C. A US Presidential executive order in 1979
- D. The United Nations in 1971
Q7. China's 2025 rare-earth measure that most directly targeted the global semiconductor supply chain is best described as which one of the following?
- A. An export-licensing regime extending even to foreign-made items containing trace Chinese-origin rare earths used in advanced chips, cleared case-by-case on national-security grounds
- B. An outright, permanent ban on all rare-earth mining within China
- C. A blanket zero-tariff waiver on rare-earth imports into China
- D. A subsidy scheme to boost rare-earth exports to US chipmakers
Q8. With reference to the 2025 US-China technology and rare-earth contest, consider the following:
1. The US moved to allow resumption of Nvidia H20 AI-chip sales to China.
2. China directed major domestic firms such as ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent to halt purchases of Nvidia AI chips.
3. China placed export-licence requirements on rare earths used for advanced chip manufacturing, citing national security.
4. India replaced China as the principal supplier of processed rare earths to the US.
Which of the statements given above are correctly identified?
- The US moved to allow resumption of Nvidia H20 AI-chip sales to China.
- China directed major domestic firms such as ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent to halt purchases of Nvidia AI chips.
- China placed export-licence requirements on rare earths used for advanced chip manufacturing, citing national security.
- India replaced China as the principal supplier of processed rare earths to the US.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 2 and 4 only
- C. 1, 2 and 3
- D. 3 only
Q9. The Biden-Xi summit that yielded an agreement to restore military-to-military communications between the US and China was held on the sidelines of which event?
- A. The APEC summit at San Francisco in 2023
- B. The G20 summit at Bali in 2022
- C. The G20 summit at New Delhi in 2023
- D. The APEC summit in Peru in 2024
Q10. The bilateral military mechanism that the 2023 San Francisco Biden-Xi understanding sought to revive to improve air and maritime safety between the two armed forces was:
- A. The Military Maritime Consultative Agreement
- B. The Incidents at Sea Agreement
- C. The Open Skies Treaty
- D. The Military Maritime Cooperation Dialogue
Q11. India's post-independence doctrine of non-alignment was institutionalised at the first summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, held in 1961 at which venue?
- A. Belgrade
- B. Bandung
- C. Havana
- D. Cairo
Q12. Following the induction of the African Union as a permanent member, the total membership of the G20 now stands at: