MAY 20 — As Kuala Lumpur grinds to a temporary halt with road closures and security cordons in place for the 46th Asean Summit, the 2nd Asean-GCC Summit, and the inaugural Asean-GCC-China Economic Summit from May 26–27, 2025, something more profound is in motion.
Beyond traffic disruptions and diplomatic choreographies, a historic confluence is taking place—one that seeks to recast the global order through the prism of civilizational dialogue, economic complementarity, and strategic recalibration.
This summit is more than just another high-level meeting. It marks the formal entrance of a trilateral axis—Asean, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and China—into the global imagination as a collective actor of consequence.
At stake is the articulation of an Asia-centric world order rooted in mutual respect, non-interference, and shared prosperity.
When roads close, bridges between civilizations open
The irony could not be more poetic. While the arteries of Kuala Lumpur are sealed off to accommodate convoys of state leaders, the deeper arteries of civilizational understanding are being opened—linking the Islamic world, East Asia, and the broader Global South.
The Malaysian chairmanship of Asean in 2025 has placed civilizational diplomacy at the heart of its agenda, culminating in this landmark summit.
This is not mere symbolism. Civilizations, unlike modern political alliances, are time-tested reservoirs of ethics, worldview, and societal values. The Asean-GCC-China configuration recognizes that it is in these civilizational foundations—Confucian, Islamic, and Southeast Asian cosmopolitanism—that the seeds of a more inclusive, resilient world order can be found.
From transactional geopolitics to transformational cooperation
In a world increasingly divided by tariff wars, technological decoupling, and strategic mistrust, the significance of this summit lies in its effort to shift global momentum from zero-sum posturing to mutual accommodation.
In contrast to the transactional ethos typified by Washington’s increasingly unilateral economic policies, this trilateral convergence focuses on deep integration of value chains, sustainable development, and shared innovation.
From China’s Belt and Road Initiative to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, and Asean’s ongoing blueprint for connectivity, the strategic synergies are evident. This summit aims to align them—not through hegemonic coercion but through voluntary coordination.
China brings formidable capital, technology, and infrastructure experience. The GCC brings energy resources, sovereign wealth, and a readiness to pivot eastward in a post-oil global economy. Asean offers demographic strength, cultural diversity, and an institutional framework grounded in non-interference and consensus-building.
This tripartite interaction promises a powerful synthesis: an economic and cultural corridor that stretches from Morocco to Manila, anchored in the values of peaceful co-existence and respect for sovereignty.
Civilizational diplomacy is Malaysia’s calling
Malaysia, under the leadership of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, is uniquely suited to convene such a summit. Since his early political career, Anwar has championed the confluence of civilizations—not only as a conceptual discourse but as a diplomatic practice.
His articulation of “Asian Renaissance” in the 1990s, influenced by both Islamic and Confucian traditions, now finds tangible expression in this summit.
In hosting both Islamic and Confucian powers, Malaysia is reviving its historic role as a civilizational bridge. In the past, Malacca was the key node of maritime Asia, where Arab, Indian, Chinese, and Southeast Asian traders met—not only to exchange goods but to blend cultures, faiths, and political philosophies. Kuala Lumpur is recapturing that spirit, this time with institutional maturity and geopolitical foresight.
It is also worth noting that both Islamophobia and Sinophobia are on the rise globally, often perpetuated by media, policy discourses, and populist politics in the West.
This summit is, in part, a civilizational response—reaffirming the dignity, contributions, and agency of the Islamic and Chinese civilizations in crafting global public goods, such as sustainable development, peaceful dispute settlement, and knowledge cooperation.
With this awareness, IIUM seeks to institutionalize this civilizational response by establishing the Centre for Peace, Dialogue, and Xenophobia Studies, which has received approval from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Peace and dialogue are civilizational ideals that should serve as the framework for enlightened responses to xenophobia of all forms.
Asean centrality strengthened, not undermined
Some have voiced concerns that greater involvement from GCC and China could undermine Asean’s centrality. But that reading misinterprets Asean’s very foundation.
Asean centrality has always been about positioning—not dominance. By being the convener of this triangle, Asean is reaffirming its place as the epicentre of Asia’s diplomatic geometry.
Indeed, the presence of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, alongside leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and other GCC nations, signals a shift in how regional diplomacy is conducted. It no longer relies on a hub-and-spoke model dictated by Washington or Brussels but evolves into a concentric framework where cooperation radiates outward from Asean.
Malaysia’s foreign policy doctrine of “constructive engagement” is being renewed, with strategic clarity and institutional confidence.
The world is watching—and should learn
As the G7 and NATO alliances double down on old deterrence models and rearmament, the Asean-GCC-China summit presents a rare alternative: diplomacy grounded in civilizational values that produces tangible economic outcomes without coercion.
Trade, energy, education, climate cooperation, and even joint disaster relief protocols are on the table—not as giveaways, but as expressions of shared interest.
The Jakarta Post, situated at the heart of the largest Muslim-majority democracy and a founding member of Asean, should celebrate this moment. Indonesia has always viewed itself as a civilizational balancer—where Islam, democracy, and Asian values coexist.
This summit opens the door for Indonesia to shape the narrative going forward, perhaps even co-convening future iterations of the summit in Jakarta, Riyadh, or Beijing.
Conclusion: The roads ahead
When the last barricade in Kuala Lumpur is lifted, what will remain is not the memory of motorcades, but the momentum of a new strategic paradigm.
Asean, GCC, and China are not just rebalancing the world—they are reviving it. Not with threats, but with trust. Not with missiles, but with markets. Not through exclusion, but through encounter.
The roads in KL may be closed, but the pathways between civilizations have just been paved. It is time the world takes notice—and perhaps, joins the journey.
*Osman Bakar is the Rector of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), a leading scholar of Islamic philosophy and science, and a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC). He is widely recognized for his contributions to the study of religion, science, and civilizational dialogue in the Muslim world.
* Phar Kim Beng is Expert Committee Member of the Centre of Regional Strategic Studies, CROSS, Professor of ASEAN Studies at the International Islamic University Malaysia, and a Senior Research Fellow at the Asia Europe Institute.
Originally published on The Malay Mail. Republished with the author’s permission.
Last Update: 21/05/2025