Kuala Lumpur: Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), participated in the second ASEAN-GCC Summit held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Secretary General emphasised the significance of the summit as a milestone for enhancing political dialogue, economic cooperation, and regional stability amid accelerating global shifts.
According to Bahrain News Agency, Albudaiwi underscored the GCC's commitment to deepening its strategic ties with Asian partners. He highlighted the GCC's 44-year journey in promoting sustainable development and expanding international partnerships in trade, renewable energy, and technology.
The Secretary General noted that the combined population of the GCC, ASEAN, and China exceeds 2.14 billion, about 27% of the global population, across a vast and economically potent region. With a joint GDP of over USD 24 trillion and growing trade flows, including USD 347 billion in 2023 between the GCC and its Asian partners, he projected this figure could surpass USD 500 billion by 2030 due to strengthening sectoral cooperation and market liberalisation.
He described the summit as a platform to reinforce trust, share development opportunities, and build a collaborative framework rooted in mutual respect and sovereignty. He referenced the 2023 Riyadh Summit, which established a GCC-ASEAN strategic plan (2024 - 2028), and the 2022 Gulf-China Summit, which launched a Joint Action Plan (2023 - 2027) across key areas including energy, environment, agriculture, education, tourism, and cybersecurity.
Albudaiwi also outlined shared priorities such as food and energy security, digital transformation, climate action through clean energy investment and green finance, and maritime safety in key waterways like the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The Secretary General called for progress in Gaza ceasefire talks and reiterated the GCC's support for a just solution to the Palestinian issue through a two-state framework aligned with UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. He concluded by urging a unified international stance to safeguard global trade routes and calling for a fair and inclusive regional order driven by development, security, and dignity for all peoples.