From May 27 to 28, 2025, during the inaugural Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-China Summit, the ASEAN-GCC-China Economic Forum was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ren Hongbin, Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), led a delegation of Chinese entrepreneurs to attend the forum and related supporting events.

During the forum, Ren Hongbin co-chaired a tripartite government-business dialogue with Dato’ Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi, Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister, and Sara Al-Sayed, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for International Relations at the Ministry of Investment. Ren also held separate meetings with government officials from ASEAN countries, including Chang Lih Kang, Malaysia’s Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Liew Chin Tong, Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, and Julapun Amornvivat, Thailand’s Deputy Minister of Finance; heads of international organizations, including Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN, and Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the GCC; and persons in charge of relevant counterparts from ASEAN and the GCC. They had in-depth exchanges regarding boosting practical economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN, as well as between China and the GCC, while exploring opportunities for trilateral collaboration.

As the Chinese lead agency for the ASEAN-GCC-China Economic Forum, the CCPIT mobilized a delegation of 30 leading Chinese enterprises specializing in energy and chemicals, information and communications, advanced equipment manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and other sectors. Delegation members engaged in extensive exchanges with government and business leaders from ASEAN and GCC countries, actively exploring cooperation opportunities and achieving multiple practical outcomes.