Asean-GCC economic axis: the Global South's answer to US volatility?

South China Morning Post

6 days ago

When Gulf leaders touched down in Kuala Lumpur for a summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this
May , the ink was barely dry on their massive
investment pledges of some US$2 trillion in the
United States to placate President
Donald Trump
But as the summit doors closed, the senior officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) turned their attention eastward, towards forging a pan-Asian economic zone reminiscent of
Brics that could shield them and
Asean from the unpredictability of Washington's erratic tariffs and dictates.
'The need to diversify trade away from an unpredictable US administration is likely to further fuel new links, including with GCC countries,' said Jayant Menon,, a visiting senior fellow at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
Asean and Gulf officials join hands for a group photo at the second Asean-GCC Summit in Kuala Lumpur on May 27. Photo: AFP
He said a decision made last year to pursue a free-trade agreement between the two blocs had been 'empowered' by May's summit, when leaders agreed to commission a feasibility study into an Asean-GCC free trade pact.