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.

China Summit on Tuesday (May 27), leaders called for greater alignment between the regions, despite differences in their development phase and civilisation background.

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.