2nd ASEAN-GCC Summit paves way for enhanced inter-regional collaboration, resilience building
KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Enhancing inter-regional collaboration and building resilience to navigate an increasingly complex global landscape marked by economic uncertainty and geopolitical challenges will be high on the agenda of the 2nd ASEAN-GCC Summit, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said here on Tuesday.
In his remarks at the opening of the summit, Anwar said the two parties had made rapid strides forward on their three key pillars of cooperation -- political-security, economic, and socio-cultural -- since its inaugural summit two years ago, but this must now be strengthened to face new developments in global affairs.
"I believe the ASEAN-GCC partnership has never been more important than it is today, as we navigate an increasingly complex global landscape marked by economic uncertainty and geopolitical challenges ... ASEAN and the GCC have the means and the responsibility to rise as anchors of stability and engines of future growth," he said.
"A stronger ASEAN-GCC relationship will be key to enhancing interregional collaboration, building resilience, and securing sustainable prosperity for our peoples," he said, adding that members of the two groupings must translate their shared vision into concrete and impactful cooperation.
For his part, Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said the two active groupings on the global stage are convening, each possessing enormous geographic, demographic, and strategic strengths, which qualify them to be influential players and undertake important roles amidst the accelerating global economic transformations.
"The GCC was ASEAN's 7th largest trading partner in 2023, with a total trade volume of 130.7 billion U.S. dollars. We anticipate this to grow by 30 percent, reaching 180 billion U.S. dollars by 2032. The investment potential between both sides is vast," said the crown prince, whose nation holds the current rotating presidency of the GCC.
"We therefore emphasize the importance of continuing to strengthen cooperation in economic, trade, investment, and technical fields. We look forward to achieving positive outcomes in the ongoing negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) between both sides, which will boost investment opportunities and support regional supply chains," he added.
The summit brings together member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which first met in this format in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh in 2023.
During the first summit, leaders of ASEAN and GCC countries adopted a joint statement to lay the foundation to upgrade and develop their partnership, and welcomed the ASEAN-GCC Framework of Cooperation (2024-2028), which outlines measures and cooperation activities to be jointly undertaken.
These include specific targets in fields such as food security, renewable energy, innovation, adaptation to climate change, and combating terrorism and violent extremism.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
27 minutes ago
- The Star
Roundup: London design biennale builds cross-cultural platform for Global South
LONDON, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The 2025 London Design Biennale was launched Thursday at the city's historic Somerset House, under the theme "Surface Reflections." Now in its 25th year, the Biennale features over 30 pavilions from five continents, providing a cross-cultural platform for collaboration for designers from all over the world. Somerset House, once home to civil servants, is also celebrating its 25th anniversary as an arts institution. The historic site now houses over 2,000 artisans and innovators. "What many don't realize is that beneath the surface, Somerset House is a home for cultural innovators," Director Jonathan Reekie from the Somerset House Trust told Xinhua. "We sit at the intersection of art, design, and technology. That spirit of creative collision is what powers both our program and this Biennale." This year, led by Artistic Director Samuel Ross MBE, the Biennale has turned its focus toward the Global South. One of the centerpieces for the Global South pavilion is "Wura" -- a shimmering installation by Danielle Alakija, CEO of the SOLI Group. Composed of over 3,000 individually drilled cowrie shells from five different species, and 1,000 meters of gold chain, the piece evokes the textures of fishing nets and colonial-era trade routes, as well as indigenous currencies. In the "Silk Road Teplo Pop-Up Store," Timur Kamalov and Charos Kamalov, co-founders of Teplo, bring together work from over 300 independent brands across Central Asia, 95 percent of which are led by women. "The Silk Road is not just about silk. It's about cultures that stretch from China to the Mediterranean," said Timur Kamalov. Meanwhile, Charos Kamalov noted: "Design can be such a bridge for people coming together. When we show these crafts in a city like London, we create a common language -- a way to connect and start meaningful conversations." China is represented at the exhibition by a pavilion set up by Jingdezhen Ceramic University, which blends ancient porcelain-making with cutting-edge technologies like ai glazes and 3D printing. Professor Xiong Jingjing, who leads the university's product design program, told Xinhua: "London is a city with a deep artistic heritage, and porcelain from Jingdezhen is a medium for global cultural discourse." "We aim to offer more than the porcelain which people already associate with Jingdezhen -- we want to show that Jingdezhen also leads in innovation, craftsmanship, and color technology. This exhibition is about exchange -- just like how two people from different countries talk about food and start a conversation, our porcelain becomes a bridge," said Xiong. For Amir Berbic, dean of VCUarts in Qatar, participation in the Biennale is an "expansion of the narrative beyond typical canons." "It's wonderful to see more participation from the Global South," he said. VCUarts' "Matter Diplopia" pavilion features work by students and faculty that draws from the Qatari context, while engaging in global discourse. Ross summarized his vision for this year's Biennale as "holistic design for change." He added: "Every ilk, continent, nation, and culture has its own virtue, its own cadence that should be celebrated and moved into the remit of design."
The Star
27 minutes ago
- The Star
Belarus gold, foreign currency reserves set new record
MINSK, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Belarusian gold and foreign currency reserves reached 11.16 billion U.S. dollars as of June 1, 2025, setting a new historical record, the country's central bank said on Friday. In May 2025, gold and foreign exchange reserves increased by 215.7 million U.S. dollars (2 percent) after an increase of 872.8 million dollars (8.7 percent) in April. The volume of foreign currency in reserves amounted to 4.09 billion dollars, having increased by 267.9 million dollars in May 2025. The volume of monetary gold was 5.67 billion dollars, having decreased by 47 million dollars. The Belarusian authorities determined the country's international assets should amount to no less than 7.1 billion dollars at the end of 2025.
Free Malaysia Today
42 minutes ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Appeals court to hear Anwar's interim stay to suspend trial on Tuesday
On Wednesday, Justice Roz Mawar Rozain dismissed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's application to refer eight questions to the Federal Court as they failed to cross the threshold set out in Section 84 of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964. (Bernama pic) PUTRAJAYA : The Court of Appeal will hear Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's application for an interim stay of the trial of a civil suit filed by a former research assistant on Tuesday, pending the outcome of an appeal. Lawyer K Rajasegaran, who appeared for Anwar, said the date was fixed following case management before a court deputy registrar this afternoon. Rajasegaran said the court also fixed July 21 to hear a permanent stay application of the trial until the outcome of Anwar's appeal to set aside the High Court's refusal to refer eight legal questions arising from the suit. Anwar had wanted the Federal Court to determine whether a sitting prime minister could be given protection from 'frivolous and politically motivated' suits while holding office. In the stay application filed yesterday by Messrs Zain Megat & Murad, the solicitors said there existed special circumstances to suspend the assault suit scheduled to begin in the High Court on June 16. They said the appeal to refer the legal questions to the Federal Court would be nugatory if the trial proceeded. 'The adjournment in the High Court is of utmost importance and is necessary to preserve the principles of justice, equality and constitutional integrity,' they said. They said the postponement would allow for complex and high-impact constitutional questions to be properly determined and interpreted. On Wednesday, Justice Roz Mawar Rozain dismissed Anwar's reference application, when it ruled that all eight questions posed failed to cross the threshold set out in Section 84 of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964. She said none of the articles cited in the Federal Constitution, as argued by Anwar's lawyers, gave rise to any real, substantial and justiciable questions of law that require a determination by the apex court. Roz Mawar had ordered for the trial of Yusoff Rawther's suit to begin at 9am on June 16 as scheduled. The prime minister wanted the apex court to rule whether Articles 5(1), 8(1), 39, 40 and 43 of the Federal Constitution grant him qualified immunity from a suit filed by Yusoff four years ago. The suit relates to events which allegedly took place before Anwar took office on Nov 24, 2022. Yusoff, a grandson of the late Penang consumer advocate SM Mohamed Idris, claims he was assaulted at Anwar's home in Segambut in October 2018. He is seeking general, special, aggravated and exemplary damages, as well as interest, costs and other relief deemed fit by the court. Anwar denies the claim and has filed a countersuit.
