Beyond trade, Asean-GCC-China summit heralds Asia's cultural renaissance
The inaugural
summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and China, recently held in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, went beyond underscoring Asia's growing geoeconomic prominence – it also served to position the continent as a catalyst for a cultural renaissance.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, the current Asean chair, has long maintained the principle of neutrality as essential to maintaining the bloc's centrality. One key approach to securing the region's stability and prosperity, he has
said , is through expanding and diversifying Asean's partnerships. In line with this vision, Malaysia hosted the Asean-GCC-China Summit alongside the
46th Asean Summit
To be sure, Asean has robust relationships with both the Gulf states and China. In 2023, the first GCC-Asean Summit was held in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, where both sides agreed to strengthen their ties through economic collaboration in the digital economy, renewable energy and food security.
Like Asean, the Gulf states are actively diversifying their partnerships, pursuing stronger engagement with the European Union, African Union, India and China. In 2022, the inaugural GCC-China Summit also took place in Riyadh, emphasising shared goals in economic diversification, technology and global governance.
Meanwhile, the China-Asean economic integration continues to deepen. Both sides recently wrapped up negotiations to
upgrade their 15-year-old free-trade agreement, marking another milestone in their growing partnership.
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