By SinAfricaNews
April 29, 2025
Author： Dr. Taling Tene Rodrigue, PhD, Lecturer, Research Fellow from Cameroon, Vice Director of the Center for Francophones Studies, Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, China. 688 Yingbin road Jinhua Zhejiang, China.
Historical Background of the Bandung’ Spirit
On 18 April 1955, delegates representing twenty-nine sovereign states across Africa and Asia assembled in Bandung, Indonesia, for the historic Asian-African Conference (AAC), subsequently termed “The Bandung Conference”. The assembly was held at a time when the world was divided between the two dominant superpowers, the US and the Soviet Union. Colonialism and global inequalities were the main drivers of the great divide: the Global North was more advanced and systematically different from the Global South, characterized by newly decolonized nations that were mostly poorer, had fewer industries, lacked-developed infrastructure and political disparity from the countries of the North. Centuries of European colonial subjugation had systematically impeded technological advancement and institutional development across these regions, resulting in delayed participation in global industrialization processes. Indonesian President Sukarno’s inaugural address poignantly encapsulated this historical context: “We are here in this great hall, sitting
side by side as a result of all the victories we have won for ourselves: victories over ignorance, sickness, want and poverty; victories over colonial and imperial domination, military, economic and cultural; victories for unity, sovereignty and independence.” (Sukarno, 1955).
The Bandung Conference’s strategic imperative lay in forging South-South cooperation frameworks to counterbalance Northern economic hegemony, thereby instituting novel paradigms in international relations. The conference’s enduring legacy took shape through the Bandung Principles that were adopted after the Conference and later codified as the guiding principles of the Non-Aligned Movement States. These tenets facilitated unprecedented cooperation among linguistically diverse, culturally heterogeneous nations sharing collective experiences of Western imperial aggression. The foundational principles encompassed: complete decolonization; universal national self-determination; mutual recognition of territorial sovereignty; prohibition of aggressive warfare; non-interventionist foreign policies; equitable economic partnerships; and peaceful multilateral coexistence. Such a moral framework, so-called “The Bandung Spirit”, acted as a messenger of institutional developments in international law after colonialism.
The subsequent decade witnessed institutional consolidation of Southern solidarity through the 1957 establishment of the Group of 77 states (G77), marking the formalization of Global South economic coordination. The member states of the G77 ratified the Algiers Declaration (15-23 September 1963), a seminal document articulating developmental imperatives for nations collectively representing 70.3% of global demographic composition (G77, 1963). The G77 calls for far-reaching and durable changes in international relations and foresees the “New International Economic Order (NIEO)” as the means of restructuring society (G77, 1963). Thereafter, this march culminated in the New International Economic Order (NIEO) process which was marked by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3201 (S-VI) that was passed on May 1, 1974, and was the formal version of the recognized establishment of the new order. It stipulated a radical change of the structures of international economic regimes, alongside with a fairer distribution of industrial potential, technology-transfer and trade reliefs in accordance to the stages of blank country’s development (United Nations, 1974).
A New Engagement Dynamics Between Asia and AfricaPost-Bandung
The post-Bandung Conference era witnessed sustained pressure on Africa-Asia relations from Northern Hemisphere powers. Following the wind-down of the Cold War, African nations experienced progressive marginalization within international governance frameworks as geopolitical priorities shifted from post-colonial socio-political concerns and bipolar strategic calculations to economic paradigms (Adebayo, F. et al., 2019). The global economy then became increasingly dominated by the East Asian growth model and its advocates. The success of Asia’s emergent growth trajectory has catalyzed African commercial entities to reorient strategic perspectives, identifying Asian counterparts as viable collaborators in South-South cooperation models. Meanwhile, Asian states demonstrated growing ambitions to penetrate development markets traditionally dominated by Northern actors, pursuing expanded economic engagement with Africa despite limited public awareness regarding African socio-political contexts. Bilateral commercial networks intensified through government-backed trade delegations, complemented by strategic embassy expansions designed to identify investment opportunities in relatively uncontested markets.
Since the 1990s, the cooperative paradigm between Africa and Asia has undergone a substantive transformation, primarily driven by intensified intergovernmental economic interactions. This evolving relationship has witnessed the emergence of Southern powers as pivotal actors, fundamentally reshaping cross-regional cooperation frameworks. Ethiopia’s strategic partnerships with China and India exemplify this trend, where competitive allocation of development assistance from these Asian giants has positioned the Horn of Africa nation as a prime recipient in their respective aid portfolios (Colom Jaén and Mateos Martín, 2022). The post-apartheid transition in South Africa (1994) reignited international interest in African engagement. Fueled by contemporary Asian economies that remained dependent upon energy and mineral reserves predominantly situated in African territories. Simultaneously, African governments implemented institutional reforms to enhance investment climates through governance structures aligning with indigenous sociocultural paradigms. These intersecting imperatives necessitated the formulation of novel Africa-Asia cooperative frameworks, particularly regarding shared positions challenging post-Cold War U.S. geopolitical hegemony and Western-dominated international architectures following the Soviet dissolution.
Furthermore, the financial architecture transformation, marked by non-Western institutional proliferation, signals a geopolitical shift in global economic governance (F. Adebayo et al., 2019). Meanwhile, the emergence of BRICS nations has intensified African engagement through mechanisms like the New Development Bank, though scholarly assessments diverge on its efficacy. Simultaneously, China’s Belt and Road Initiative has redefined development financing paradigms, overshadowing Japan’s Official Development Assistance which peaked at US$6.8 billion in 2008 (JICA, 2009). Post-2008 financial crisis, the Asian engagement matrix expanded beyond China’s sphere, with India institutionalizing its Africa policy through biennial India-Africa Forum Summits. This Sino-Indian economic penetration has stimulated academic discourse regarding its implications for Africa’s policy autonomy and industrialization trajectories. This strategic recalibration underscores Asia’s renewed positioning as Africa’s developmental partner. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) designed to address market fragmentation on the continent, has positively responded to persistent intra-African trade underperformance despite prior regional integration efforts. Critical implementation challenges, including with Asian countries, still revolve around reconciling extra-African Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with AfCFTA objectives, particularly concerning tariff reduction schedules and non-reciprocal trade provisions. Successful execution could actualize the AU Agenda 2063 vision of equitable global trade participation and leveled Africa globally to new highs.
China-Africa Relations under the Bandung Spirit
Africa with its youngest and fastest growing population represents one of the world’s most significant emerging markets that global enterprises cannot afford to ignore. While this potential signal transformative opportunities for Africa’s international engagement, substantial challenges persist in education and technological capacity building for its youthful population. Meanwhile, China maintains its position as the largest developing nation with an unparalleled workforce and cutting-edge technological advancements in the most competitive area such as 5G technology, artificial intelligence, satellite navigation systems, etc.
The Bandung principles continue to underpin China-Africa cooperation, emphasizing mutual development objectives, value alignment, and cultural dialogue. Particularly noteworthy is the enduring relevance of anti-colonial solidarity in addressing contemporary challenges like poverty reduction, climate resilience, and territorial sovereignty preservation. China employs multiple engagement frameworks ranging from bilateral agreements to multilateral platforms like the African Union, the FOCAC (Forum on China Africa Cooperation) predominantly driven by economic complementarity (Colom Jaén & Mateos Martín, 2022). China’s developmental commitments to Africa surpassed US$60 billion during the 2000-2013 period, channeled predominantly into infrastructure development, information-communication technology, agricultural modernization, and social welfare enhancement. Song Wei highlights China’s governance cooperation model that prioritizes context-sensitive development pathways aligned with African nations’ self-determination principles (Song Wei, 2023).
Nevertheless, debates persist regarding the China-Africa partnership’s equitable nature, with critics cautioning against debt dependency risks of African countries and the imbalanced technological transfer from China to Africa. Regarding the cultural exchanges, the establishment of Confucius Institutes in Africa’s premier universities has sparked discussions about China’ soft-power dynamics, defined by Joseph Nye as “the ability to attract and co-opt, rather than coerce”, contrasting with coercive hard power (Dugué-Nevers, 2017). Therefore, winning the hearts and minds of Africans through an unbalanced dissemination approach of Chinese language and Culture on the Continent, has been perceived by some critics as a soft-power agenda of China to enhance its geopolitical global influence on the continent and beyond.
In a word, ensuring authentic alignment with African developmental priorities remains crucial to preserving national sovereignty and avoiding neo-colonial patterns. Ultimately, the Bandung ethos continues shaping China-Africa collaboration through its tripartite focus on joint progress, common values, and cross-cultural engagement in addressing global crises.
Significance of Geopolitical Tensions and Trade Wars
Historically, Africa’s economic relations and investment deals with Asian countries have been the side-line issues in geopolitical discourse largely due to the unbroken neocolonial economic grip of the western countries on the continent. However, the emergence of large and growing African populations with extensive natural resources has attracted increased capital from Asia, with China being the most significant player. Chinese investment in Africa has been fueled by increasing prosperity, immense domestic demand for resources, and the construction of infrastructure for growth. At the same time within Asia, strategic priorities have transitioned from industrial fragmentation towards implementing diversified strategies to navigate escalating great power rivalries, particularly counterbalancing expanding U.S. hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region. Protracted conflicts such as the Ukrainian crisis, compounded by territorial tensions in the South China Sea, Taiwan Strait, and Korean Peninsula, have substantially heightened regional security imperatives (Oppermann, 2022). The ascendance of political determinants in trade-investment decision-making has compelled ASEAN economies and other Asian states to recalibrate diplomatic postures while forging stronger multilateral ties with African nations. The ongoing Sino-American trade war epitomizes this geopolitical realignment in Asia, manifesting as strategic competition between emergent Afro-Asian coalitions. Transcending mere rhetorical commitments to peace, security, and cooperative multilateralism, Asian states confront an imperative to systematically analyze the structural forces reshaping their security paradigm. This necessitates developing coordinated, comprehensive response mechanisms through enhanced regional cooperation frameworks and conflict prevention architectures. Theses challenges will not be achieved without a significant support from African nations.
BandungLegacy: A New Paradigm of Asia-Africa Contemporary Relations
In conclusion, seven decades subsequent to the Bandung Conference, its seminal principles persist as a constructive force in global consciousness, diplomatic assemblies, and institutional frameworks. The contemporary Africa-Asia relational paradigm, emerging from this historical watershed, demonstrates dynamic multilateral alliances and a complex interplay of geopolitical dynamics. The ascendance of the BRICS consortium, ASEAN bloc’s strategic consolidation, and the expanding Sino-Indian developmental engagements in Africa collectively manifest a reconfigured geopolitical architecture with profound implications for hemispheric stability, African developmental trajectories, and the restructuring of international relations. Historical analysis of Africa-Asia diplomatic evolution since the 1955 Bandung Conference reveals a developmental trajectory characterized by cooperative multilateralism, reciprocal assistance mechanisms, and sustained advocacy for equitable global economic architectures amidst persistent external hegemonic influences of the Global North. Asia and Africa, navigating post-colonial transitions, established substantive cooperation grounded in shared historical experiences of colonial subjugation and concurrent socioeconomic developmental challenges. The Bandung Conference, constituting a pivotal juncture in South-South cooperation, institutionalized a collective political identity among emergent nations through its articulation of solidarity principles and collaborative frameworks designed to counter neo-colonial economic practices. This foundational legacy continues to power up contemporary Africa-Asia relations, presently distinguished by intensified focus on sustainable development paradigms and the establishment of multipolar global governance structures.
References:
Oppermann, D. “From Bandung to the DNS.” (2022).
Adebayo, P., G. N. Onyekpe, J., and S. Afolabi, A. “The Impact of Global Economic Integration on Africa in the 21st Century.” (2019).
Colom Jaén, A. and Mateos Martín, Óscar “China in Africa: Assessing the Consequences for the Continent’s Agenda for Economic Regionalism.” (2022).
Wei, Song. Promoting Independent Development: China’s Governance Assistance to Africa under the Global Civilization Initiative. China Int’l Stud. 101 (2023): 112.
Dugué-Nevers, A. “China and Soft Power: Building Relations and Cooperation.” (2017).
