In a landmark summit held on Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur, China, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) pledged to strengthen cross-regional cooperation amid escalating global challenges.
The leaders from these regions acknowledged their joint efforts to promote closer ties and endorsed China’s vision to build a closer ASEAN-China community with a shared future and a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era.
According to a joint statement released after the summit, the countries emphasized the importance of bolstering confidence in the rules-based multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organization at its core. They reaffirmed their commitment to making economic globalization more open, inclusive, balanced, and beneficial to their peoples and future generations.
The summit in Malaysia, ASEAN’s current chair, signals a significant step toward enhancing collaboration between Asia and the Gulf region. This cooperation aims to address shared challenges and foster development and prosperity across continents.
