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The curtain fell Sunday on the golden jubilee of the Bandung Conference, with heads of state and governments from Asia and Africa taking a historic walk. They also planted trees in the "Asia-Africa Forest."
The walk and tree symbolize the future cooperation between the two continents.
Exactly 50 years ago, 29 newly independent Asian and African nations met in the same place in Indonesia, pushing forward unity and cooperation between the two continents in dealing with international and regional matters.
The Bandung Spirit, with its 10 principles, has provided necessary ballast in international affairs.
The presence of 105 nations, more than half of the United Nations' membership of 191, at the Asian-African Summit shows that the "Bandung Spirit" is not a footnote to history.
The pilgrimage to Bandung sent a message that the spirit born in this place should not be just reviewed, but actively revived.
Today, regions and sub-regions all over the world are integrating through various instruments of collaboration. There is no reason why Asia and Africa should not do likewise and devise a concrete and practical framework for intensive and extensive inter-regional co-operation in all fields.
Individually, most of the countries on the two continents are under-developed. But together they have the resources and the skills to solve many of the problems of development that they are facing.
Declaring a New Asian-African Strategic Partnership, the two continents are resolved to work in concert. In doing so, they can make a difference in today's globalized world and contribute to the conquest of poverty.
Encompassing an area that is almost half of the world, Asia and Africa are home to 4.6 billion, or 73 percent, of the world's population.
The new partnership will help the two continents realize their collective potential, tying the two regions together in a vigorous, pragmatic and forward-looking way.
It is a partnership that will give form and flesh to the Bandung Spirit. It translates the broad vision of the first generation of Asian and African leaders into pragmatic and realistic measures.
It is a timely response to the new dimensions of the world situation by cooperating on every front.
The declaration is a collective expression of the desires and dreams of the countries of the two continents. More efforts are needed to make the partnership a real powerful vehicle that can help stem the tide of marginalization of the two regions in world politics and economy.
The fact that some of the world's largest and fastest growing economies are found in the two regions is not reflected in our positions on the global economic and political stage.
It is clear that the two regions need to continue to work together, sharing their resources, expertise and experience to reap the full benefits that can result from such a partnership.
Half a century has passed since the first generation of leaders of Asia and Africa met in the same place and gave voice to the yearning of the nations of the two continents for freedom, justice and equitable prosperity. On that historic occasion, they gave notice to the world at large that they would take their destiny in their own hands and participate constructively in global affairs.
The seeds of a global peace endeavor from that first Asian-African Conference of 1955 have been flowering well.
The 10 principles have continued to serve as a code of ethics governing relations and interactions between and among nations.
The new partnership is a testimony to the strong commitment of Asian and African nations in working together towards a better future. This will herald the rise of newer and closer cooperation between the two regions.
The falling of the curtain in Bandung is not an end to the work.
(China Daily April 25, 2005)
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