Malaysia To Propose ASEAN-GCC-China Business Council To Boost Trilateral Trade

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will propose establishing an ASEAN-GCC-China Business Council to facilitate trade and business matching among the three regions.

Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the proposal is still being discussed and will be raised with the relevant ministries at the upcoming trilateral session.

He said the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit held in Kuala Lumpur in May 2025 was a one-off event, and that the cooperation reflects a shared commitment towards building a more resilient and open global economic and trade system grounded in existing trade rules.

"With a combined GDP of around USD25 trillion and a population of 2.16 billion, ASEAN, the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) and China have the potential to form a large and influential economic bloc," he said.

"At the same time, other vertical cooperation can continue under existing ASEAN mechanisms, namely ASEAN-China and ASEAN-GCC, or under initiatives led by China or the GCC themselves, subject to the agreement of all parties," he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to a question from Tan Kok Wai (PH-Cheras), who asked the ministry about follow-up actions on the Joint Statement after the 2025 ASEAN-GCC-China Summit, and when the second summit is scheduled.

Lukanisman, however, said Malaysia remains open and flexible with the cooperation and is prepared to play an active and constructive role in supporting its implementation.

He said that although the summit was a one-off event, Malaysia hopes other ASEAN member states taking over the chairmanship of the bloc will carry forward similar initiatives.

"What we hope to achieve through ASEAN-GCC-China is to strengthen and explore the vast economic potential, particularly for ASEAN member states.

"However, discussions so far have yet to reach a consensus on reconvening the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit.

"Nevertheless, as an ASEAN member, Malaysia will continue to strengthen this cooperation through existing mechanisms, including ASEAN-GCC and ASEAN-China," he said.

-- BERNAMA