By Abdullah Bugis KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 (KUNA) -- Malaysia will be host to two major summits, gathering leaders from the GCC, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, and China between May 26-27.
The three trilateral parties will focus on boosting ties during their meetings held during dramatic shifts in global politics and the economy.
The GCC-ASEAN summit will be the second of its kind to be held between the two parties, while the GCC-China meeting will be the first.
The two summits will be held within the 46th ASEAN leaders' summit under Malaysia's leadership with the slogan "Inclusivity and Sustainability".
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that this international event required meticulous cooperation to meet challenges and address the aspirations of participants.
The Malaysian government continues its preparation for the grand meetings and the summit, which they deem as historic for the involved regions and the world.
The ASEASN summit will be addressing some major topics, including commerce supply chains, international trade fluctuations, climate change, renewable energy cooperation, and other important issues on the agenda.
There are some expected agreements on free trade zones to be signed between countries and multilateral parties including 19 heads of states and organizations, in addition to over 20,000 officials expected to partake in various functions and meetings.
Syahirah Asman, a researcher at the Asia-Middle East Centre for Research and Dialogue in Malaysia, told KUNA that ASEAN-GCC-CHINA relations have seen some considerable leaps in recent decades as commercial exchange and strategic dialogue flourished.
ASEAN is the number one commercial partner for China, while GCC countries provide vital energy supplies to the members of the association, she added.
This multiparty cooperation was translated into agreements and accords signed between all sides to reinforce cooperation and sustainable strategic partnerships, she said, adding that the summit was a crossroad paving the way for a tri-party mechanism addressing numerous challenges like the current trade tension between the US and China.
Asman also added that the summit was not held to confront the West, but rather to reinforce the voice of the global south and create a balanced world based on cooperation and coordination.
Independent media expert on Southeast Asia and China, Jamal Mohammad indicated that the upcoming summits within the ASEAN major event were a historical chance to boost partnerships amid geopolitical and economic shifts.
The time of the GCC-ASEAN and GCC-China summits is important, asserted the expert, noting that alliances would be made to address global challenges and draw policies.
He went on to say that the summits, if managed wisely, would create a force coordinating the efforts of all involved countries and organizations.
He added that Malaysia, the current ASEAN president, was facing a challenge to balance relations amongst participants, which was a huge diplomatic task.
For his part, Phar Kim Beng, Professor of ASEAN Studies, International Islamic University of Malaysia, said that the summits' participants would be creating blocs that overlook ideological differences and focus on the bigger picture.
The events will be a chance to create a balance between energy security and green energy, he indicated, noting that while the GCC continued to grow as a source of oil, the ASEAN also was a source for natural gas, biodiesel, and solar energy.
China is also a leading nation in the consumption and creation of green energy technology, said Peng, who pointed out that the gatherings would be touching on reducing China-America trade tension and researching better ways to boost supply chains and strategic metals.
Meanwhile, Deputy Director of the Center for Asian Studies in Hong Kong, Ghulam Ali said in an analytical article that the ASEAN-China partnership was considered one of the oldest and mature partnerships, beginning in 1996, leading to the creation of a free-trade zone between the two sides and an increase in volume of trade.
The GCC-China partnership, he added, saw huge leaps since the Riyadh summit of 2023, adding that the ASEAN-GCC partnership had also developed since the ministerial meeting between the two sides in 2009, and hopefully up to the upcoming tri-summits in Kuala Lumpur.
The volume of trade between China and the ASEAN had reached 2024 around USD 963 billion according to statistics by PR Newswire, a distributor of press releases headquartered in Chicago.
The volume of trade between the two sides in the first quarter of 2025 had reached 234.17 billion, an increase of 7.1 percent from last year, according to the Chinese Global Times newspaper.
Meanwhile, an official report from the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Commerce revealed that commercial exchange between the GCC and ASEAN had reached USD 130.7 billion in 2023, making the former party the sixth largest trade partner to the ASEAN.
Chinese-GCC economic ties saw considerable growth, with the volume of trade reaching USD 298 billion in 2023, with the number expected to reach USD 325 billion in 2027, according to Bloomberg.
The ASEAN was established in 1967 and includes in its membership Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
The ASEAN also has major strategic partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, the US, India, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the EU.
The GCC had joined the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), a central document laying the foundation for cooperation between ASEAN and countries from beyond its region.
Bahrain joined TAC in 2019, while the UAE, Oman, and Qatar joined in 2022, and the State of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia joined in 2023. (end) aab.gta