ASEAN, China, and Gulf states unite at Southeast Asian Nations summit

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), China, and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to forge a unified path toward a peaceful, prosperous, and just future.

Al-Jazeera reports that the agreement follows a significant trilateral summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025.

This landmark gathering marks the first time these three powerful blocs have met together in person.

It highlights the growing importance of alternative centers of global influence amid an increasingly uncertain international landscape.

In a joint statement released after the summit, the participants,

• GCC members Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates;
• ASEAN members Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar;
• and China,

reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening economic cooperation.

A key focus is on promoting free trade, with the parties expressing anticipation for the swift completion of ongoing GCC-China Free Trade Agreement negotiations and the enhancement of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area.

The collective goal, the statement read, is to “unleash the full potential of our partnership” and ensure the cooperation leads to tangible benefits for all societies involved.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, emphasized the economic power of the three blocs, citing their combined gross domestic product of $24.87 trillion and a total population of about 2.15 billion.

Malaysia currently chairs ASEAN.

Anwar highlighted the potential of this economic scale to drive innovation, deepen market integration, and attract cross-regional investment.

While acknowledging that the United States remains an essential trade partner, he rejected claims that ASEAN is shifting too far toward China.

He reiterated the bloc’s commitment to maintaining balanced and diversified engagements with all major global powers, including the U.S.

James Chin, underscored the strategic importance of this summit for China, particularly since it provides a platform where the U.S. is not a direct participant.

Chin is a professor of Asian studies at the University of Tasmania.

ASEAN and GCC nations, he noted, already perceive China as a significant global power.

During the summit, Chinese Premier Li Qiang emphasized Beijing’s readiness to cooperate with ASEAN and the GCC based on mutual respect and equality.

He outlined plans for:

• greater alignment in development strategies,
• stronger macroeconomic policy coordination, and,
• deeper industrial collaboration among the three parties.

Former Malaysian ambassador to the United States Mohamed Nazri bin Abdul Aziz described China as rapidly filling the global leadership void left by the U.S.

This is especially following the disruptive tariff threats made under former President Donald Trump, Aziz stated.

According to Nazri, while the U.S. and the European Union struggle with economic stagnation, ASEAN, China, and the Gulf countries are experiencing robust growth.

“The Gulf is very rich, ASEAN is a tiger, and China, its future seems limitless,” Nazri commented, reflecting on the region’s dynamic growth trajectories.

Jaideep Singh, noted that trade between ASEAN and GCC nations has grown significantly, reaching $63 billion in 2024.

Singh is an analyst at the Institute of Strategic & International Studies in Malaysia.

This makes the GCC ASEAN’s fifth-largest trading partner.

Malaysian trade with GCC countries alone grew by 60 percent between 2019 and 2024.

Furthermore, foreign direct investment (FDI) from the GCC into ASEAN totaled $5 billion as of 2023, with $1.5 billion flowing into Malaysia.

Nevertheless, the U.S., along with China, Singapore, and the European Union, remains a dominant force in terms of FDI into Malaysia’s manufacturing and services sectors.

And despite China’s growing trade with ASEAN, the United States remains the bloc’s largest export market.

In early 2024, the U.S. overtook China, with 15 percent of ASEAN exports going to American markets – an increase of nearly 4 percent since 2018. Carmelo Ferlito,

CEO of the Center for Market Education, also pointed out that U.S. FDI stock in ASEAN reached nearly $480 billion in 2023.

According to him, this was almost twice the combined total of U.S. investments in China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Beyond economic topics, geopolitical issues were also addressed during the summit.

The conflict in Gaza drew strong condemnation from participants.

The participants called for a lasting ceasefire and the release of captives and arbitrarily detained individuals.

They also called for the delivery of essential supplies to Palestinians.

The joint communique demanded an end to Israel’s “illegal presence” in occupied Palestinian territories.

It also reaffirmed support for a two-state solution.

The civil war in Myanmar also featured prominently.

ASEAN members urged an extension of the ceasefire that was declared following the March earthquake, which is set to expire by the end of May.

However, human rights organizations have reported continued attacks by Myanmar’s military regime, suggesting that the ceasefire has not been fully upheld.

Zachary Abuza,  noted that while Prime Minister Anwar is eager to mediate the Myanmar conflict, the military junta remains uninterested in genuine peace negotiations or power-sharing.

According to him, this further complicates efforts to resolve the crisis.

Abuza is a professor of Southeast Asia politics at the National War College in Washington, DC.

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