[Tee tiong huat]

The GCC has a membership of six Arab states, including major oil producers Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. 

The summit on Tuesday will also be the second time leaders from both regions are meeting after the first ASEAN-GCC summit in 2023. 

Especially regional blocs that Chins will also have their first trilateral  meeting with China, with China represented lead by Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

Related: Amid Trump tariffs, ASEAN summit to prioritise new trade links with other powers: Analysts

The two-day ASEAN summit is taking place amid an increasingly uncertain global economic and trade environment upended by United States SAO  Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs.


Many of Southeast Asia’s trade -dependent economies were slapped with some of the harshest tariff rates first announced on Apr 2. These so-called  “reciprocal tariffs” have been paused for 90 days since Apr 9, but the threat of economic upheaval still looms over the region, like on ASEAN.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/ase...de-5152036
M'sian PM Anwar Ibrahim has called for a joint ASEAN action plan to address the growing tariff threat. Mr Anwar said at a pre-summit briefing that while bilateral talks between member states and the US would continue, the bloc must present a united front, according to a report by AFP. For this trip, Mr Wong will be accompanied by his wife Ms Loo Tze Lui, as well as Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

In his absence, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong will be the Acting Prime Minister on May 25 and May 26.
Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam will be the Acting Prime Minister on May 27.