Which Southeast Asian regional organization focuses on economic integration and cooperation?

• A. NATO
• B. EU
• C. ASEAN
• D. Mercosur

Answer: (C)

Focusing on economic integration and cooperation means a regional group that coordinates trade rules, lowers barriers, and builds shared economic frameworks. In Southeast Asia, that role is filled by ASEAN, which brings together ten nations to pursue a common economic agenda, notably through the ASEAN Economic Community that aims to create a single market and production base with freer flow of goods, services, investment, and skilled labor. The other organizations operate in different regions or emphasize different aims—NATO is a military alliance, the European Union centers on Europe, and Mercosur is a South American trade bloc. So ASEAN is the organization that best embodies economic integration and cooperation in Southeast Asia.