Forum marks 70 years of Bandung Spirit

Marking 70 years since the Bandung Spirit was born, officials and experts on Wednesday called for stronger regional integration among Global South nations as rising geopolitical tensions threaten global multilateralism.

"Developing countries keep calling for a new and better global order," Rajiv Bhatia, a distinguished fellow at Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations, said at a forum in Jakarta commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference.

He urged the developing countries to invest in regional integration in Africa, Latin America and Asia, and with other like-minded countries.

The forum, organized by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta, drew about 300 participants, including government officials, diplomats and academics.

The 1955 Asian-African Conference in Bandung, Indonesia — commonly known as the Bandung Conference — brought together leaders from 29 newly independent nations and laid the groundwork for the Non-Aligned Movement.

Bhatia, a retired diplomat, said it is time for the Global South to promote a new trade order that focuses on fairness, sustainability and inclusiveness.

He pointed to the spirit of the Bandung Conference and its 10 principles, including respect for human rights, the United Nations Charter, and national sovereignty.

Former Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa warned of "deeper and ever wider fragmentation" in the world and headwinds against multilateralism.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations can serve as a model for the Global South, he said, as ASEAN leaders have developed regional cooperation through constant communication.

Yose Rizal Damuri, executive director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, criticized the high tariffs imposed by the United States, saying the developing nations were asked to "compete fairly" in the past, but now face "unfair treatment" through tariffs, sanctions and economic coercion — tools used to maintain dominance rather than improve global trade.

Abdulkarimu Yanda, chairman of the Tanzania Students' Association in Indonesia, said forging unity among the Global South is challenging, but not impossible, emphasizing the importance of people-to-people exchanges in promoting unity.

Prime Sarmiento in Hong Kong contributed to this story.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.