ASEAN kicks off summits with China, Gulf states amid US tariff threat
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kuala lumpur
Southeast Asian leaders are holding their first ever summit with China and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), as they seek to insulate their trade-dependent economies from the effect of steep tariffs from the United States.
The meeting, in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, took place on Tuesday, on the second day of the annual summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Malaysia is the current chair of ASEAN, which also includes Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The meeting followed separate talks between leaders of the ASEAN and the GCC, which comprises of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, opening the ASEAN-GCC summit, said stronger ties between the two blocs would be key to enhancing collaboration, building resilience and securing sustainable prosperity.
'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,' Anwar said. At a press conference on Tuesday, Anwar added that Southeast Asian leaders reached an understanding that any bilateral agreements they may strike with the US on trade tariffs would not harm each others' economies.
'While proceeding with bilateral negotiations … the consensus rose to have some sort of understanding with ASEAN that decisions should not be at the expense of any other country,' Anwar told reporters.
'So we will have to protect the turf of 650 or 660 million people,' he said of ASEAN. China's Premier Li Qiang, who arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, joined ASEAN and the GCC for their first meeting on Tuesday. He met with Anwar on Monday and called for expanded trade and investment ties between Beijing, ASEAN and the GCC. 'At a time when unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise and world economic growth is sluggish,' Li said, China, ASEAN and GCC countries 'should strengthen coordination and cooperation and jointly uphold open regionalism and true multilateralism'.
ASEAN has maintained a policy of neutrality, engaging both Beijing and Washington, but US President Donald Trump's threats of sweeping tariffs came as a blow.
Six of the bloc's members were among the worst hit, with tariffs between 32 percent and 49 percent.
Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs in April for most of the world, and this month struck a similar deal with key rival China, easing trade war tensions.
Anwar said on Monday he had also written to Trump to request an ASEAN-US summit this year, showing 'we observe seriously the spirit of centrality.' However, his Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said Washington had not yet responded.
ASEAN has traditionally served as 'a middleman of sorts' between developed economies like the US and China, said Chong Ja Ian from the National University of Singapore (NUS).
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