Jakarta. ASEAN and Gulf nations are getting closer as the world braces for the full impact of the US’ tariffs. 

Leaders of ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) gathered Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur for their second summit. The GCC is an economic alliance that brings together Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. Both blocs are scheduled to meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang for their first-ever joint summit later that day. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was the first to take the floor during the ASEAN-GCC Summit. It was then that he revealed that both sides had been trading heavily with one another.

"GCC was ASEAN's seventh-largest trading partner in 2023, [totaling] $130.7 billion. Growing investment reflects confidence in both GCC and ASEAN,” Anwar said. 

The Malaysian politician then called ASEAN and GCC as two “economically vibrant” groups, while calling for stronger inter-regional cooperation. 

Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah acknowledged how both sides had made significant strides in trade. However, the GCC wants to catapult its trade with ASEAN to a whopping $180 billion by 2032. He said: “We are on the right track [towards that goal].”

The rest of the meeting is not open to press coverage. Neither Al-Sabah nor Anwar made a direct comment on the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

When the ASEAN Summit began on Monday, Malaysia -- which currently assumes the group’s rotating chairmanship -- expressed concerns over the US’ tariff threats. Anwar even revealed that he had informed Trump that ASEAN would like to meet the American businessman-turned-politician to discuss his latest trade move. Trump has accused many countries, including Indonesia and other ASEAN nations, of unfair trading practices. This prompted Trump to impose tariffs that can go as high as 49 percent on ASEAN countries. All GCC nations, however, will only be subject to a 10 percent tax if they wish to sell their goods to the American market. This means that Trump has spared the GCC from the steepest penalties, as a 10 percent rate is the baseline of his tariff salvo. The steeper levy hikes on ASEAN economies and the rest of the world will come into effect in July.

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