The South East Asian and Gulf nation is set to organize a three-way summit with China on Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, aims to promote economic relations and strengthen regional cooperation between global uncertainty and growing American trade stress.The summit brings together the South East Asian countries (ASEAN), six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and Chinese Premier Lee Kiang’s 10-member association together. It marks the first such meeting between the three sides, reporting AP.Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who opened the summit, said that strong ASEAN-GC relations are important for making economic flexibility and permanent growth. “ASEAN-GCC partnership has never been more important than today, as we navigate a rapidly complex global landscape.”GCC- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates- was the seventh largest trading partner in ASEAN in 2023, with a total of $ 130.7 billion.Rajkumar Sheikh Saba Khalid Al Saba, the crown of Kuwait, said that the summit was formed in its first meeting in Riyadh last year, which is expected to deepen cooperation to handle global crises better.The presence of China’s chief Lee Kiang underlines China’s growing influence in Southeast Asia, where many countries continue to join both China and the United States despite the increasing tension between the two powers.Recently, US President Donald Trump announced tariffs with six ASEAN countries with tariffs between 32 percent and 49 percent. Although the 90-day stagnation was announced in April, concerns remain. Anwar has called for a special ASEAN Summit with Trump to address the tariff.University Malaya’s analyst Collins Chong U Ket said that ASEAN’s growing relations with China, relying on US defense support, reflect a delicate balance. He warned that this trend could push the US back to pull back from the region, possibly allowing China to extend its influence even further.Despite overlapping several ASEAN members in the South China Sea and regional disputes involving China, the block remains largely neutral, with the aim to maintain relations with the two major powers.
