KUALA LUMPUR: There is no agreement yet to hold a second Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-China Summit, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the inaugural summit, hosted by Malaysia in May last year, was intended as a one-off event, as unanimously agreed by Asean member states.
“Discussions have yet to reach a consensus on organising another Asean-GCC-China Summit,” he said in reply to a question from Tan Kok Wai (PH-Cheras).
Lukanisman said Malaysia remained open to continuing the initiative and hoped future Asean chairmanships would build on the cooperation established during Malaysia’s tenure.
Despite the absence of an agreement on another summit, Lukanisman said cooperation would continue through existing Asean-China and Asean-GCC mechanisms.
He said the inaugural summit, held in Kuala Lumpur in May 2025, had produced a joint statement outlining cooperation in trade, investment, energy, technology, connectivity, and inclusive and sustainable growth.
The initiative also sought to strengthen an open, rules-based global trading system and improve the resilience of regional supply chains.
Lukanisman said the three economic groupings represented a combined gross domestic product of approximately US$25 trillion and a population of 2.16 billion.
He said their combined economic strength offered significant opportunities to deepen cooperation, particularly in energy security and supply chain resilience.
“Asean-GCC-China can play a role in strengthening cooperation to protect and improve the resilience of regional energy supply chains,” he said.
In a supplementary question, Tan asked whether the initiative could eventually be expanded into a wider Asian summit involving countries from South Asia, East Asia and Central Asia.
Lukanisman said Malaysia hoped other Asean chairmanships would take similar initiatives to strengthen relations with the GCC and China.
He said the government also recognised the potential for wider regional engagement but stressed that no consensus had been reached on another trilateral summit.
“As an Asean member, Malaysia would continue strengthening ties through existing regional platforms while exploring opportunities for cooperation with other Asian countries.”