KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today the Association of South-east Asian Nations will agree if Washington wants a US-Asean summit, dismissing claims that the region is tilting towards China.

Anwar told reporters after concluding the inaugural Asean-GCC-China Summit here this evening that the bloc firmly believes in universal diplomacy, stressing Asean’s long-held belief in staying neutral but united.

Today’s summit with China and the gulf countries, attended by China’s Premier Li Qiang, came amid some criticism that South-east Asian countries are getting too close to Beijing, at the risk of upsetting trading partners in the West, particularly the US.

“That had been the perception all along, but I had made myself clear in a statement to all Asean leaders… in the first meeting in Langkawi that is to continue to engage United States and China, and at the same time with other countries,” Anwar said.

“But following that I wrote to Donald J. Trump and we agreed to proceed with the US-Asean summit… I mean if I receive a letter from Trump tomorrow and he says, ‘Yes, let’s have a summit in June or in a few months, I don’t have a problem,” he added.

Today’s trilateral summit came just weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam, during which he pitched for a unified “Asian family”, a move widely seen as an attempt to counter US pressure on nations to limit trade ties with Beijing.

Malaysia’s trade team is currently negotiating with counterparts in Washington hoping to convince the Trump administration to eliminate the tariffs, expressing its readiness to make some concessions.

Malaysia exports primarily electronics and electrical goods, with the bulk being semiconductors.

Last year, Malaysia shipped US$16.2 billion (RM68.6 billion) worth of chips to the US, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of all US semiconductor imports, US trade data reviewed by Reuters show.

Anwar as chair of the summit said Asean members have agreed that bilateral talks with the US should be encouraged even as he initially said that the bloc should prioritise Asean interests.

“Regarding US tariffs, while bilateral negotiations may proceed, the consensus is that any decision must be based on mutual understanding within Asean and must not come at the expense of other nations,” he said.