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'Bandung Spirit' touted as way forward for Global South
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Motorists ride in front of the Merdeka Building in Bandung, West Java, on April 16, 2025. The building was the venue for the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference, also known as the Bandung Conference, where 29 Asian and African countries convened in the spirit of anti-colonialism. (Antara/Novrian Arbi)
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nternational relations experts from Global South countries attending the 70th anniversary of the Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung, West Java, have said the “Bandung Spirit” concept of non-interference and building mutually beneficial cooperation should guide developing countries in facing global challenges, including through BRICS.
During the three-day discussion to commemorate the 1955 conference late last week, experts highlighted BRICS, the group of emerging economies, as a strategic platform to uphold sovereignty, equality, non-interference and non-aggression principles in today’s multipolar world.
Founded by Brazil, China, Russia and India in 2009 as a counterbalance to wealthy Western nations, BRICS has seen its membership expand, with Indonesia being the latest addition.
“BRICS, to some extent, is a development of the Bandung Spirit,” said Wang Hui, a Chinese history professor from Tsinghua University on Thursday. “The main agenda of the Bandung Conference was independence and sovereignty for colonial countries, and after many years, those countries are still facing economic inequality.”
He said this strategy could serve as a foundation for Asia Africa Conference member countries and others to “improve the global order”, arguing that developing countries “still lack votes compared with their economic contributions” in international organizations. He emphasized the importance of applying the Bandung principle of equality in global institutions today.
Read also: ‘Bandung Spirit’ revisited amid global fractures
While Wang sees BRICS as aligned with the Bandung Spirit in promoting justice and a multipolar world, others argue it falls short of the principle of non-alignment.
