Sixty years ago, delegates from 29 Asian and African countries gathered in Bandung, Indonesia for a conference to decide their own future and destiny.[Special coverage]
That conference gave birth to the Bandung Spirit, calling for solidarity, friendship and cooperation, seeking common ground while shelving differences, and pursuing common development.
More than half a century has passed, drastic and profound changes have taken place in the world. The Bandung Spirit, which upholds principles of solidarity, friendship and cooperation, still holds significant importance for Asian and African nations and the international community as a whole.
Following the Asian-African Conference in 1955, the Bandung Spirit served as an important foundation for building a new international political and economic order that is just and equitable, and provided guidance for developing countries to seek strength through unity and cooperation.
The Bandung Spirit, containing the Ten Principles of Bandung on handling state-to-state relations and the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, became a widely recognized set of norms for international relations.
Those principles represented a just call for independence, dignity and equality from the oppressed nations, serving as a guiding principle for countries with the same or different social systems to build and grow friendly relation.
The principles also pointed out an effective way for seeking peaceful solutions to outstanding historical issues and disputes in the world, thus making historic contributions to the solidarity and cooperation among Asian and African countries.
Sixty years after the Bandung Conference, the world once again finds itself at a historical juncture amid complicated changes. This time, multi-polarity and globalization are gathering momentum. Countries are becoming increasingly interdependent with a stronger sense of community of common destiny.
In today's Asia and Africa, developing countries are rising as a group. The two continents are leading the world in terms of both development potential and dynamism. This is attributable to the united efforts of peoples on these two continents, and also to the guidance of the Bandung Spirit.
The Bandung Spirit is still needed today as Asian and African countries are faced with the daunting tasks of upholding national security and social stability, accelerating economic and social development, as well as improving people's living standards.
For the world at large, a set of new challenges have also arisen. Traditional and non-traditional security threats are intertwined, the North-South gap is yet to be narrowed, and the balance on economic development and environmental protection needs to be better addressed. To meet these challenges, the Bandung Spirit, which upholds the values of solidarity, friendship and cooperation, can be the most relevant and effective guidelines.
At this historical moment, as Asian-African leaders will gather in Bandung to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Asian- African Conference, the world needs to join hands so as to carry forward the Bandung Spirit and work tirelessly for the common dignity and wellbeing of all human beings.
