Asean, GCC, China Can Deepen Ties Amid Global Uncertainty: PM Wong

He underscores potential for these regions to drive global growth and resilience

- Hariz Baharudin

Amid global geopolitical turbulence and uncertainty, Asean, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and China can forge deeper ties to unlock new pathways for shared prosperity, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

Speaking at two landmark summits in Kuala Lumpur on May 27 - the second Asean-GCC Summit and the inaugural Asean-GCC-China Summit, PM Wong underscored the potential for these regions to drive global growth and resilience by working more closely together.

During the summit between Asean, which comprises 10 member countries, and the GCC, a key bloc of six Arab states, PM Wong said the global environment has become much more uncertain since the two groups last met in October 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

"And in this turbulent world, Asean and the GCC should strengthen our linkages," he said at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, where both summits were held.

PM Wong noted that Asean, with a population of over 670 million, is on track to become the world's fourth-largest economy by 2030, while the GCC is rapidly transforming into an important global player.

"So our two regions should really do more together," he said.

He pointed to the 2023 Framework of Cooperation between the two groups, saying its adoption had boosted Asean-GCC ties and that the latest summit offered an opportunity to forge even closer links.

PM Wong outlined three key areas of cooperation for the two groups.

On trade and investment, he said Singapore was the first non-Middle Eastern country to establish a free trade agreement (FTA) with the GCC, and discussions are under way to upgrade it. The Gulf Cooperation Council-Singapore FTA was signed in December 2008 and entered into force in September 2013.