Chinese President Xi Jinping, his wife Peng Liyuan, Indonesian Joko Widodo and his wife Iriana take part in a highly symbolic stroll with other Asian and African leaders to commemorate the historic 1955 Bandung Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, April 24, 2015. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)
BANDUNG, Indonesia, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Asian and African leaders participated here Friday morning in a series of events to commemorate the historic 1955 Bandung Conference.
The 60th-anniversary commemoration of that landmark bicontinental gathering opened with a repeat of the "historical walk," with the leaders strolling from Savoy Homann Hotel to Gedung Merdeka, or the Independence Building.
Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, walked alongside their Indonesian counterparts in the front of the array, which marched forward to the cheers of the crowds that had gathered on both sides of the avenue.
The first Asian-African Conference took place in Bandung on April 18-24,1955, and was attended by representatives from 29 Asian and African countries and territories.
At the 1955 gathering, the leaders crafted a new ethos to govern international relations known as the Bandung Spirit and embodied by the Ten Principles of Bandung.
Over the past 60 years, the Bandung Principles, centered on peaceful coexistence, have been embraced by more and more countries. And today the Bandung Spirit of solidarity, friendship and cooperation remains relevant and potent in world affairs.
By following the footsteps of their predecessors, the leaders demonstrated their determination to remember and carry forward the time-honored guiding norms.
After the walk, the participants entered the Independence Building, where they reviewed the Ten Principles of Bandung and watched a commemorative video and an Indonesian art performance.
At the formal commemorative conference, Xi, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Swaziland King Mswati III signed into effect the Bandung Message, a set of 41 items adopted Thursday at the conclusion of an Asian-African summit in Jakarta and already signed by other leaders.
Widodo, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, Myanmar President U Thein Sein, Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab and Venezuelan Vice President Jorge Arreaza addressed the commemoration, respectively.
Noting that the international order is still fraught with injustice and imbalance, they agreed that it is of realistic significance for the Asian and African leaders to gather in Bandung to reemphasize the Bandung Spirit and their commitment to common development and prosperity.
Besides the Bandung Message, two other documents were also adopted at the just-concluded Jakarta conference, namely the Declaration on Reinvigorating the New Asian African Strategic Partnership and the Declaration on Palestine.
The summit, themed "Strengthening South-South Cooperation to Promote World Peace and Prosperity," drew together leaders and representatives from some 100 Asian and African nations and international organizations.
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