Kuala Lumpur: Relations between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and China have witnessed a significant boom in recent years in various fields, particularly in education, science, and trade. This has made ASEAN and China among the most prominent strategic partners of the GCC countries.
According to Qatar News Agency, the summit between leaders of the GCC, ASEAN, and China, scheduled to be hosted in Kuala Lumpur on May 26 and 27, aims to strengthen strategic cooperation and expand it to broader horizons. This initiative seeks to contribute to sustainable development goals, enhance investment relations, and increase trade exchange, thereby serving the common interests of these countries and benefiting their populations.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), comprising 10 countries, are working to promote mutual trade and investment, with China as a key partner for both sides. This partnership aims to open new avenues for enhancing the roles of the GCC and ASEAN as effective regional powers contributing to a more stable and prosperous global order.
This summit follows the GCC-ASEAN Summit held in Riyadh in October 2023, where a joint statement announced 42 cooperation items and outlined a roadmap for strategic cooperation for 2024-2028. The focus was on knowledge exchange, institutional capacity building, technical assistance, technology transfer, and enhancing competitiveness to achieve regional integration goals.
Trade between the GCC and ASEAN has grown, reaching USD 137 billion in 2022, accounting for 8 percent of the GCC's total trade volume. Globally, exports to ASEAN represented 9 percent of the GCC's total exports, while imports from ASEAN accounted for 6 percent of the GCC's total imports.
GCC investments in ASEAN accounted for 4 percent of total foreign investments, amounting to USD 75 billion in 2022, while ASEAN investments represented 3.4 percent of total foreign direct investments in the GCC, totaling USD 24.8 billion.
The GCC and ASEAN are significant global economic blocs, with ASEAN's combined GDP at approximately USD 3.6 trillion, positioning it to become the fourth largest global economy by 2030. The GCC countries have a combined GDP of approximately USD 2.3 trillion, making them ideal partners for ASEAN in enhancing economic cooperation. Trade between the two blocs has exceeded USD 100 billion in recent years.
ASEAN is China's largest trading partner, with trade between the two reaching USD 234 billion in the first quarter of 2025. China is also a major partner for the GCC, with trade in goods reaching nearly USD 298 billion in 2023. The GCC accounted for 36 percent of China's total crude oil imports that year.
China plays a vital role in strengthening GCC-ASEAN relations through the Belt and Road Initiative, supporting infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia and investing in GCC renewable energy.
Economic data indicates the GCC's accelerated foreign direct investment in ASEAN, shaping future relations in various sectors, such as economic, food security, and technology.
Qatar is keen to strengthen cooperative relations with ASEAN, with trade reaching approximately USD 9 billion annually. Qatari investments in Singapore are estimated at USD 3 billion, concentrated in energy, financial, insurance, and real estate sectors. Qatar Energy has a liaison office in Thailand, enhancing regional energy trade cooperation. Major Qatari companies are also present in Indonesia, the Philippines, and several ASEAN countries.
Qatar invested USD 5 billion in Malaysia's Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex and signed a project in 2013 to position Malaysia as a regional petroleum hub.
ASEAN member states support Qatar's food security efforts, aligning with its National Vision 2030. The ASEAN-GCC Cooperation Framework (2024-2028) aims to enhance cooperation in fields like renewable energy, climate change, sustainable development, agribusiness, education, and more.
GCC investments in ASEAN reached USD 13.4 billion between January 2016 and September 2021. Singapore has a free trade agreement with the GCC countries since 2008, covering 99 percent of its domestic goods. Separate trade agreements between Malaysia, Indonesia, and the GCC are proposed.
GCC countries aim to boost investments in ASEAN, while ASEAN seeks to increase imports from the GCC. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation is investing in Southeast Asia's energy sector through joint projects. Saudi Aramco announced a USD 7 billion investment in Malaysia in 2017. The UAE signed a USD 6.57 billion agreement for an oil storage facility in Malaysia in 2013.
International and regional circles, along with citizens of the GCC, ASEAN, and China, eagerly await the summit's outcome in Kuala Lumpur. There are hopes for enhanced strategic cooperation and increased trade between the two major blocs and China amid the region's economic challenges.