KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — As the Philippines prepares to assume the rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast

The GCC, China, ASEAN countries pledged to promote trade and work to ‘unleash the full potential of our partnership’.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says Southeast Asian nations will forge a common front to face challenges, including economic headwinds from US tariffs and the four-year deadly civil war in Myanmar.

Political leaders and former heads of state from across Asia have expressed concerns over the US government's tariff policies, calling for greater unity among Asian nations to overcome shared challenges.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday urged Southeast Asian and Gulf countries to remove trade barriers and expand opening up amid rising protectionism, and said Beijing is confident it can stabilise its economy in the face of challenges.

Southeast Asian nations held a summit Tuesday with China and six Persian Gulf countries in efforts to expand economic engagement as they grapple with U.S. tariff hikes.

A regional association of Southeast Asian nations is set to hold a three-way summit Tuesday with China and six Gulf countries in what officials called an effort to bolster economic resilience as they grapple with global volatility and U.

Southeast Asian leaders began a two-day summit in Kuala Lumpur on Monday to work out trade deals with China and Gulf nations, as they face growing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump’s new tariff hikes.

East Timor said Thursday it would deport a former Filipino congressman charged with multiple murders in the Philippines and added that he was a national security threat whose presence could damage the country's image ahead of its entry to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.