UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Raksha Mantri to lead Indian delegation at 13th ADMM-Plus in Philippines

Q1. With reference to ASEAN-led regional forums, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) is confined to ASEAN member states, whereas the ADMM-Plus also brings in non-ASEAN dialogue partners.
  2. The East Asia Summit, like the ADMM-Plus, is a meeting of the defence ministers of ASEAN and its partner countries.
  3. The ASEAN Regional Forum, like the ADMM-Plus, is an ASEAN-led forum, but it predates the ADMM-Plus by more than a decade.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q2. Consider the following facts about a regional defence forum: it is chaired each year by a member state of ASEAN; its participants include the United States, China and Russia; it takes decisions by consensus; and its outcomes are not legally binding. Which of the following inferences can validly be drawn from the above?

  1. No single outside great power controls the forum's agenda.
  2. A participant that is itself a party to a regional dispute can prevent the forum from adopting a joint position on that dispute.
  3. A participant that ignores the forum's outcomes can be subjected to collective sanctions through the forum.
  4. Participation in the forum obliges each partner country to side with the chair on regional disputes.
  • A. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q3. With reference to the legal framework of the South China Sea, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) is a legally binding treaty, under which any party may refer a breach to compulsory adjudication.
  2. UNCLOS, rather than the DOC, is the instrument that defines maritime zones such as the territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone, and the rights within them.
  3. The Code of Conduct (COC) is being negotiated among all ADMM-Plus participants, including India and the United States.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q4. Consider the following facts: ASEAN and China signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in 2002. In 2018 and again in 2023, India and ASEAN jointly looked forward to an early conclusion of a Code of Conduct (COC). At ADMM-Plus meetings from 2019 to 2025, India repeatedly called for a COC that is consistent with UNCLOS and does not prejudice the legitimate interests of other states. Which of the following inferences can validly be drawn from the above?

  1. The DOC has not been treated as the final framework for conduct in the South China Sea.
  2. India's repeated calls show that India has rejected the DOC.
  3. China has formally withdrawn from the negotiations on the COC.
  4. India wants regional rules for the South China Sea to stay within a universal legal framework.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4 only

Q5. With reference to how the ADMM-Plus functions, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Between the annual ministerial meetings, work is carried forward by a Senior Officials' Meeting and by Experts' Working Groups.
  2. Each Experts' Working Group is co-chaired by one ASEAN member state and one 'Plus' country.
  3. Because the forum works by consensus, the work programme of an expert group can proceed only with the agreement of the participating states.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. Consider the following assertion: 'The value of the ADMM-Plus to India lies more in the access and routine cooperation it provides than in binding outcomes.' Which of the following statements support the above assertion?

  1. Outcomes of the forum are reached by consensus and are not legally binding.
  2. A single ministerial meeting allows a defence minister to hold sideline bilateral talks with many counterparts, including those of rival major powers.
  3. Experts' Working Groups keep practical cooperation going on issues such as counter-terrorism between the annual ministerial meetings.
  4. ASEAN was India's second-largest trading partner in 2023-24.
  • A. 1, 2, 3 and 4
  • B. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only