At the 2nd Asean-GCC Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stressed the need for deeper Asean-Gulf ties to navigate global economic and geopolitical uncertainties. He urged both blocs to strengthen collaboration for sustainable growth and resilience.
The GCC is Asean’s 7th largest trading partner, with trade hitting US$128 billion in 2023 and expected to rise to US$180 billion by 2026. Kuwait’s Crown Prince highlighted the strong investment potential and ongoing talks for an Asean-GCC Free Trade Agreement. The summit runs alongside the 46th Asean Summit and will be followed by the first Asean-GCC-China Trilateral Summit.
