Gulf states court China, ASEAN at landmark Malaysia summit: What to know
The Gulf Cooperation Council’s summit with the Southeast Asia bloc was expanded to include China, bringing the emir of Qatar and Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat to Malaysia.
Gulf leaders sought to expand ties with Southeast Asia and China at a summit in Malaysia on Tuesday, as Beijing’s footprint in the Middle East continues to grow.
What happened: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held their second joint summit in Kuala Lumpur, following a first meeting in Riyadh in 2023. For the first time, China also joined the forum, marking a three-way summit between the GCC, ASEAN and the People’s Republic.
The three-way summit was held under the theme “Synergizing Economic Opportunities Toward Shared Prosperity," according to ASEAN’s website.
ASEAN leaders also convened for an internal meeting on Monday ahead of the trilateral forum.
