At the 60th anniversary of the 1955 Bandung Conference, leaders from Africa and Asia gathered to carry forward the Bandung spirit.[Special coverage]
At Wednesday's Afro-Asian summit 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a more just and equitable international order and a community of common destiny for mankind.
The Bandung spirit of solidarity, friendship and cooperation remains relevant and potent today, and the concept of "common destiny" is of great importance, not only to Asia and Africa, but to the whole world.
Sixty years ago, Asian and African leaders gathered to oppose colonialism and neocolonialism, with late Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai advocating "peaceful coexistence" and "seeking common ground while shelving differences."
Increasingly prosperous, China's will and ability to promote cooperation among Asian and African countries and beyond demonstrate its respect for the basic tenets of international relations as well as the will to improve them.
To share China's development with other countries, Xi has promised 100,000 training opportunities for developing nations in the next five years.
Asian-African cooperation is key to South-South cooperation. The two continents boast three quarters of the global population and more than half of UN member states. Faced with similar missions to improve living conditions, these countries can cooperate in infrastructure, agriculture, human resources, green energy and environmental protection.
Collaboration is not a zero-sum game. The Cold War mentality should be dropped and win-win cooperation upheld.
Many of the countries at Wednesday's summit are already closely linked to China on the economic front, the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, international trade and infrastructure projects.
Xi's initiative is an ambitious vision, in line with China's wish to share development with the rest of the world.
