Oman remains open to partnerships between Gulf, ASEAN and China: Sayyid Asaad

Observer

27-05-2025

KUALA LUMPUR: On behalf of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, HH Sayyid Asaad bin Tarik al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs, Personal Representative of His Majesty the Sultan, headed the Sultanate of Oman's delegation at the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit, which commenced on Tuesday in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
The summit's opening featured addresses by heads of delegations, as HH Sayyid Asaad delivered a speech, during which he emphasised that the historical relations built on shared values, mutual interests, cooperation and respect — reflected in the ancient Silk Road and the Belt and Road Initiative.
The full text of the speech reads as follows: 'Our relations are historical, built on shared values and mutual interests, as well as cooperation and mutual respect — a legacy reflected in the ancient Silk Road and the Belt and Road Initiative.
Today, we are writing a new chapter on the friendship between our nations. Together, we possess immense potential to drive positive change. Our combined population exceeds 2 billion people, with a GDP reaching $24 trillion, making our nations among the world's fastest-growing markets.
The energy resources of this group, its workforce, and the goals we seek to achieve across various transformation sectors present significant investment opportunities in solar, wind and green hydrogen energy. These foundations enable us to meet our future energy needs while advancing sustainable development in our countries — an aspiration we all share.
Strengthening partnerships in transportation, logistics and financial technology will enrich trade, investment, and tourism opportunities. It will enhance service efficiency, cross-cultural understanding and support for small and medium enterprises, as well as knowledge exchange and private-sector partnerships among our nations. This will accelerate innovation, generate jobs and empower our people to lead a future of sustainable prosperity.
We must also emphasise that the Sultanate of Oman strongly supports expanding and liberalising trade between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China.
Oman is optimistic about the future of the Middle East, and we express our deep appreciation to our partners in ASEAN and China for their constructive role in this regard.
Lasting regional peace will only be achieved if Israel ceases its policy of genocide against the Palestinians. The international community and all nations represented at this summit must take all political, diplomatic and economic steps to end Israeli violence and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The vision of Oman and the overwhelming majority of the world's nations is to support a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution which requires the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied Palestinian territories and the full recognition of Palestine as a full-fledged member of the United Nations.
As a maritime nation and a friend to all, the Sultanate of Oman remains open to all initiatives aimed at strengthening partnerships between the Gulf region, ASEAN and China. We always look forward to welcoming our friends and partners, working with them in a spirit of cooperation, progress and constructive engagement.' On his turn, Shaikh Sabah Khaled Al Hamad al Sabah, Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait, emphasised the summit's role in fostering multilateral cooperation and strategic partnerships based on integration, sustainable development and mutual respect amid global economic and geopolitical challenges.
He noted that GCC-China and GCC-ASEAN relations exemplify advanced cooperation models, with the 2022 GCC-China first Summit in Riyadh marking a strategic shift toward comprehensive economic, technological and environmental collaboration.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang highlighted the importance of regional openness and a unified "trilateral market," stating that integrating the GCC, ASEAN and China — representing a quarter of the global population and GDP — would unlock growth opportunities. He welcomed progress on upgrading the China-ASEAN FTA and accelerating GCC-China FTA negotiations.
Premier Li stressed turning developmental disparities into strengths through mutual respect, economic strategy alignment, and industrial role distribution. He endorsed Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim's "Dialogue of Civilisations" initiative to promote cultural understanding and global peace.
The summit reviewed joint action plans, strategic dialogue with China and cooperation in renewable energy, technology, education, health, AI and scientific innovation. — ONA