KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is set to take centre stage in global diplomacy as it hosts the inaugural Asean-GCC-China Economic Summit this month, leveraging its 2025 Asean chairmanship to advance strategic ties with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations and China, especially in promoting a multi-polar global order and reinforcing Asean's centrality.
Regional expert Dr Nadia Helmy said the convening of the summit in Kuala Lumpur – initiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim – is a testament to Malaysia's increasing prominence in shaping multilateral cooperation frameworks, with its Asean chairmanship providing a platform to build bridges between Southeast Asia, the Islamic world and key global powers like China.
"Malaysia hosting the first-ever Asean-GCC-China Economic Summit reflects its growing role in shaping multilateral frameworks for economic, political and cultural cooperation," said Nadia, a political science professor at Beni Suef University and an Egyptian expert in Chinese and Asian political affairs.
She noted Malaysia's continued emphasis on "Asean centrality" as a strategic response to geopolitical tensions between major powers.
"Malaysia is actively supporting a neutral stance and avoiding alignment with any global bloc. This allows Asean to function as a cohesive and independent force in global diplomacy," she told Bernama in a written interview.
Nadia observed that Asean countries have strong and robust economies that enable them to play a pivotal role in the global economic landscape.
"This makes economic and trade cooperation with Asean by the GCC countries and other Middle East countries fruitful and successful for all parties involved," she said.
Nadia said China's role is also expected to feature prominently in the trilateral framework through its Belt and Road Initiative, investment in renewable energy in the Gulf, and infrastructure support in Southeast Asia.
"This growing triangle of cooperation – Asean, GCC and China – is geared towards achieving sustainable development, economic resilience and regional stability," she said.
Meanwhile, socio-political analyst Datuk Professor Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi from Universiti Malaya said Malaysia's Asean chairmanship and the upcoming 46th Asean Summit come at a crucial juncture as the regional grouping is redefining its external engagement posture.
"With rising strategic engagement between Asean and the GCC, Malaysia is uniquely positioned to help shape Asean's sociopolitical identity, serving as a bridge between the two regions," he said.
He also opined that Malaysia's Madani principles can be harnessed to promote Asean's shared values of tolerance, mutual respect and consensus in forging stronger partnerships with the GCC and China, while positioning Asean as an inclusive, value-based actor on the global stage.
Kuala Lumpur will host the 46th Asean Summit, the second Asean-GCC Summit and the inaugural Asean-GCC-China Economic Summit concurrently at the end of this month.
