The inaugural ASEAN-GCC-China Summit, held in Kuala Lumpur on May 27, 2025, marked a historic milestone in global geopolitics, bringing together three dynamic regions—Southeast Asia, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and China—to forge a trilateral framework for economic and strategic collaboration. With a combined GDP of nearly $25 trillion and a population exceeding 2.1 billion, this partnership represents a formidable force in a world increasingly strained by protectionism, geopolitical rivalries, and economic uncertainty.
The summit’s outcomes, including commitments to enhance trade, energy cooperation, and digital connectivity, underscore a critical truth: in today’s multipolar landscape, cooperation among nations is not just beneficial but essential for fostering resilience, sustainability, and shared prosperity. By prioritizing dialogue and mutual benefit, the ASEAN-GCC-China partnership offers a model for navigating global challenges, including regional conflicts, through collective action.
The Geopolitical Context: A World in Need of Cooperation
The global order is undergoing a profound transformation. U.S. tariffs, escalating tensions in the South China Sea, have exposed the fragility of global trade and security systems. Meanwhile, ASEAN faces pressures from U.S.-China trade disputes, with six member states hit by tariffs ranging from 32% to 49%. The GCC, navigating its own diversification away from oil, seeks new markets and partners. China, grappling with Western decoupling efforts, aims to bolster ties with the Global South. In this context, the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit, initiated by Malaysia as ASEAN’s 2025 chair, emerges as a pragmatic response to a world where unilateralism and protectionism threaten economic stability. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim aptly framed the summit as a symbol of “cohesiveness of regional blocs,” emphasizing the need for collective action to counter global volatility.
Economic Synergies: The Power of Trilateral Collaboration
The economic rationale for ASEAN-GCC-China cooperation is compelling. ASEAN, with a GDP of $3.8 trillion in 2023 and trade exceeding $4 trillion in 2024, is a global trade powerhouse. China, ASEAN’s largest trading partner with $700 billion in bilateral trade in 2023, drives infrastructure through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), facilitating logistics networks across Southeast Asia. The GCC, with $130.7 billion in trade with ASEAN and $390.2 million in investments, brings capital and ambition for diversification, exemplified by Saudi Vision 2030 and Kuwait’s oil refinery projects in Vietnam and Indonesia. Together, these regions account for 22.3% of global GDP and 26% of the world’s population, offering unmatched market leverage.
The summit’s outcomes reflect this potential. The “ASEAN-GCC Framework of Cooperation 2024-2028” prioritizes trade, energy, and sustainable development, with initiatives like the ASEAN-GCC-China Connectivity Corridor to enhance supply chains and digital trade. Proposals for a Joint Green Infrastructure Fund and an integrated digital customs system aim to foster sustainable growth and streamline commerce. These efforts build on existing frameworks like the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) and the Regional Cooperation Economic Partnership (RCEP), which could serve as models for future trilateral agreements. By aligning their strengths—ASEAN’s youthful workforce, GCC’s capital, and China’s technological prowess—these regions can create resilient supply chains and innovate in clean energy, digital economy, and halal industries, as highlighted by Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan.
The Imperative of Cooperation
Cooperation is not merely a diplomatic ideal but a strategic necessity. The summit’s trilateral framework counters the fragmentation caused by great-power rivalries. ASEAN’s neutrality, as articulated by Anwar Ibrahim, allows it to engage both China and the U.S. without choosing sides, while the GCC’s diversification efforts align with ASEAN’s economic goals. China’s BRI investments in ASEAN and renewable energy projects in the GCC create a foundation for mutual benefit. However, challenges remain: ASEAN-GCC trade, at $130.7 billion, is modest compared to ASEAN-China trade, and intra-ASEAN trade lags at 20-24% of total trade. Regulatory differences and geopolitical sensitivities could complicate alignment.
To overcome these hurdles, the summit proposed institutional mechanisms like the ASEAN-GCC Development Fund and Halal Innovation Council, fostering long-term collaboration. Malaysia’s role as a bridge—rooted in its Muslim-majority, non-aligned status—positions it to drive this agenda, as noted by Professor Phar Kim Beng. By prioritizing shared goals, such as energy transition (requiring $2 trillion in ASEAN investments by 2030) and digital connectivity, these regions can hedge against external shocks like U.S. tariffs, which threaten ASEAN’s economic resilience.
A Model for the Future
The ASEAN-GCC-China Summit is a bold step toward a new kind of partnership—one that transcends bilateral ties to create a regional model for cooperation. Its focus on sustainable development, from green hydrogen ventures to digital customs systems, aligns with global demands for resilience and innovation.
In a world marked by division, the summit’s success hinges on translating commitments into action. A permanent coordination mechanism, as suggested by Professor Faiz, could ensure follow-through, while leveraging existing frameworks like ACFTA can streamline trade. By cooperating, ASEAN, the GCC, and China can build a resilient, inclusive future, proving that collective action is the antidote to a fractured global order. The Kuala Lumpur Declaration and ASEAN 2045 vision, endorsed at the summit, chart a path toward this goal, emphasizing that unity, not rivalry, will define the next era of global progress.