Bandung spirit still alive: Pakistani experts laud China's role in Global South solidarity

ISLAMABAD, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The spirit of the 1955 Bandung Conference continues to shape international cooperation among developing nations, Pakistani experts have said, underscoring China's pivotal role in promoting South-South solidarity, peaceful coexistence, and equitable global development.

These views were expressed on Wednesday during a seminar titled "The Bandung Spirit (1955-2025): Seven Decades of Solidarity, Sovereignty, and South-South Cooperation," organized by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), a think tank in the Pakistani capital.

Mushahid Hussain Sayed, chairman of the Pakistan-China Institute and chief guest at the event, hailed the 1955 Bandung Conference as a landmark in post-colonial diplomacy and a catalyst for unity among Asian and African nations.

"Bandung marked the birth of a new global consciousness," said Sayed.

Highlighting contemporary manifestations of the Bandung legacy, Sayed pointed to China's flagship initiatives, such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and other multilateral platforms as evidence of China's continued leadership in fostering inclusive global development.

Speaking on the occasion, Sohail Mahmood, former foreign secretary of Pakistan and director general of the ISSI, recalled Pakistan's active role in the original 1955 Bandung Conference, emphasizing that its core principles -- sovereignty, solidarity, and non-interference -- remain central to Pakistan's foreign policy to this day.

"Strategic partnerships, particularly with China, reflect Pakistan's unwavering adherence to the Bandung vision," he said.

Other speakers, including Zamir Akram, Pakistan's former permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, and Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, executive director of the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South, underlined the Bandung Conference's lasting contribution to the emergence of a multipolar world order.