Asian-African leaders’ speeches deliver a strong message of global justice

For two days, political leaders from Asia, Africa and also a Latin-American country made speeches at the Summit. The following are extracts from some of these speeches.


 

Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe, Chair of the African Union (AU) and co-Chair of the Asian African Conference 2015

Our presence here is evidence of our shared desire and common commitment to expand, deepen, and solidify, the new partnership between Africa and Asia, that we agreed upon ten years ago. We have to admit, though, that we need to put in more extra efforts into this new partnership, if we are to attain its ambitions.

For a start, we will have to adhere by the operational framework that we are going to adopt at this meeting. In addition, we will have to go beyond mere intentions, important and essential as they may be, to the vitality of the new partnership, to the stage we actually implement projects of cooperation.

The countries of our two regions have awakened to the fact that we should be no longer consigned to the role of exporters of primary goods and importers of finished goods, a role that had historically been assigned to us by the colonial powers. In Asia, you have made much more remarkable progress in transforming your economies to become producers of manufactured goods and processed goods than we have in Africa. That wave of economic transformation, anchored on adding value to and beneficiating our divinely endowed natural resources, is also sweeping across Africa, taking root in many countries.

We are convinced that, in the framework of the NAASP, there is unlimited room for sustainable and mutually beneficial   practical   cooperation   between   ourselves and our Asian friends.

Beyond information sharing and technical cooperation programmes,   we   would   want   to   establish   joint   ventures, between ourselves, that can produce not just more products, but more products   of better quality. Such joint   industrial ventures would also be taken in an integrated manner that benefits not only Zimbabwe, but also other countries in the region, with whom we enjoy many synergies and complementarities.

One   of the   critical   factors   in   ensuring   the   success   and sustainability   of the envisaged economic transformation   and integration in Africa is the development of modernised and integrated infrastructure on the continent. In recognition of this, the African Union has adopted a Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) composed, at present, of sixteen inter-regional projects…The programme offers yet other immense opportunities and possibilities   for concrete, practical cooperation between our two   regions.

I am informed that in less than two months a Continental Business Network will be launched in Africa…As the Network will encompass   both African and global business andfinancial bodies, itisourhopethatAsiaprivate sectormemberswillparticipate in the Network andteamupwith their African counterparts   in bringing better, more modern andmoreefficientinfrastructuretothecontinent. A more productive and better connected Africa will be a stronger partnerforandwithAsia.

African   and   Asian   countries   are   a formidable   force,   in numerical terms, at the multilateral level. Yet, that numerical strength counts for little, when it comes to the running and control of the multilateral system. In the UN, the voice of the five permanent members of the Security Council carries more weight than that of the rest of us, the majority.   Our calls for a reform of the Security Council review have yielded nothing so far.   We must remobilise for success.   One of the essential ingredients in doing so will be the strengthening of our unity in continuing to fight for a UN that recognises all its members as equal partners, not only in terms of the Charter, but more crucially, in practice.

Our unity is founded on the enduring ten principles of the Bandung Conference.   But, that unity cannot thrive of itself. We have to act it out by being faithful to, and being advocates of those principles in our actions and in our pronouncements.

I am glad that at the conclusion of this Summit, we will adopt a declaration on reinvigorating our new partnership.   Let us reinvigorate it in solidarity, in friendship, and in concrete cooperation for the greater benefit of the peoples of our two regions, regions that are linked by history and geography, and enriched by the diversity of our cultures.

 

Xi Jinping, President of China

Sixty years ago, leaders from 29 Asian and African countries attended the Bandung Conference, giving birth to the Bandung Spirit of solidarity, friendship and cooperation, galvanizing the national liberation movement that swept across Asia, Africa and Latin America, and accelerating the global process of decolonization. On the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence, the Conference put forth the ten principles for the handling of state-to-state relations, which played a historic role in charting the right course for international relations, advancing Asia-Africa and South-South cooperation, and promoting North-South cooperation. The Bandung Conference, indeed, stands as a major milestone for the solidarity and cooperation between Asian and African peoples.

The Bandung Spirit under the new circumstances retains strong vitality. We must carry forward the Bandung Spirit by enriching it with new elements consistent with changing times, by pushing for a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation, by promoting a more just and equitable international order and system, and by building a community of common destiny for whole humanity so as to bring about even greater benefits to the people in Asia, Africa and other parts of the world. To this end, I wish to make the following proposals:

First, we should deepen Asian-African cooperation. As important cradles of human civilization, the two continents are home to three quarters of the world population, and boast more than half of the UN member states. Asian-African cooperation is acquiring a global dimension of growing importance. In the face of new opportunities and new challenges, Asian and African countries need to hold on to their tradition of sharing weal and woe, seize the opportunities and meet the challenges together, and push Asian-African cooperation constantly to a higher level, so that we will always stay as good friends, good partners and good brothers.

As an African proverb goes, “One single pillar is not sufficient to build a house.” In China, we have an old saying, which reads, “The going is difficult when doing it alone; the going is made easier when doing it with many others.” By working closely together, Asian and African countries will gain far more than what their combined strengths could produce. We need to follow a win-win approach for common development, align our development strategies, enhance infrastructure connectivity, promote result-oriented cooperation in industry, agriculture, human resources development and other fields, and cultivate such new bright spots of cooperation as green energy, environment and e-commerce so as to translate the economic complementarity of the two continents into a collective driving force for their development. We should deepen regional and sub-regional cooperation, make better use of the existing mechanisms, build new cooperation platforms when conditions allow to advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and promote a new architecture of wide-ranging, multi-levelled and all-dimensional Asian-African cooperation.

Second, we should expand South-South cooperation. Mr. Deng Xiaoping, the chief architect of China’s reform and opening-up, once said that South-South cooperation was such a well-put term that we must give whoever invented it a big medal. Indeed, developing countries in their large numbers are all faced with the common mission of accelerating development and improving people’s lives. They ought to look to one another for comfort and come to each other’s aid in times of difficulty. And they should actively carry out cooperation across the board to realize their respective development blueprints. A successful Asian-African cooperation will set a good and important example for South-South cooperation in other parts of the world.

Enhanced South-South cooperation calls for more effective institutions and mechanisms. It is important to make good use of the Non-Aligned Movement, the Group of 77 and other groupings, strengthen cooperation platforms such as the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and BRICS, encourage dialogue and exchanges among regional organizations of developing countries and explore new frameworks for South-South cooperation. In this connection, China supports Indonesia’s initiative of establishing an Asia-Africa Center. It is necessary to increase the representation and voice of the developing countries in the various international systems, guide the negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda so that they will focus more on addressing the difficulties and challenges of the developing countries, especially African countries and the least developed countries, and safeguard more effectively the legitimate rights and interests of the developing countries.

Third, we should advance North-South cooperation. The Bandung Spirit is not only relevant to Asian-African cooperation and South-South cooperation, it also provides important inspiration and useful reference for greater North-South cooperation. Balanced global development will remain elusive if a group of countries is allowed to get richer and richer while another group gets trapped in prolonged poverty and backwardness. From the strategic perspective of building a community of common destiny for mankind, North-South relations are not merely an economic and development issue but one that bears on the whole picture of world peace and stability.

Helping developing countries to achieve development so as to close the North-South gap is the bounden responsibility and obligation of the developed countries. It is important to prod developed countries to earnestly deliver on their ODA commitments, step up their support for developing countries with no political strings attached, and build a more fair and balanced new global development partnership by strengthening the developing countries’ capacity for independent development. It is also important to uphold and promote an open world economy, build fair, equitable, inclusive and rules-based international economic and financial systems, and create a sound external environment favorable for the development of developing countries.

It is necessary to abandon such outdated thinking as Cold War mentality and zero-sum game, champion the new vision for common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and settle conflicts and disputes peacefully through dialogue and consultation. Concerted efforts should be made to address non-traditional security issues and meet global challenges such as terrorism, public health hazards, cyber security and climate change, so as to build a community of common destiny, find a new path featuring security by all, of all and for all, and work together for lasting peace and stability in regions and around the world.

Under the new circumstances, China will stay firmly committed to closer Asian-African cooperation. Having already signed with eight of its neighbors the treaty of good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation, China is ready to do the same with the rest of its neighboring countries. China will step up peace and security cooperation with African countries with a view to enhancing their capacity for peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, and counter-piracy operations. China is ready to carry out production capacity cooperation with Asian and African countries, helping African countries with the building of high-speed rail, expressway and regional aviation networks and facilitating the industrialization process in Asia and Africa. By the end of this year, China will extend zero-tariff treatment to 97% of tax items from all the least developed countries having diplomatic ties with China. And China will continue to provide assistance to developing countries without political conditions. China will work with all parties in the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, managing well the launch of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and making proper use of the Silk Road Fund. China will join the relevant countries in improving ASEAN Plus China, the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other cooperation platforms, and ensuring the success of the 6th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to be held in South Africa later this year. China will continue to promote South-South cooperation and North-South cooperation, working with other countries to secure peace and stability at regional and global levels and achieve common development and prosperity.

I would like to announce here that in the next five years, China will offer 100,000 training opportunities for candidates from developing countries in Asia and Africa and host the annual Asia-Africa Youth Festival, inviting a total of 2,000 Asian and African youth to China. China will set up a China-Asia and Africa cooperation center to further exchanges and cooperation among Asian and African countries. China will launch a program for exchanges and research on international law between China and the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization. And China will host an international seminar this year themed on the Bandung Spirit. Your active participation in the event will be greatly appreciated.

No matter how developed it may become and how much the international landscape may change, China will remain a reliable friend and sincere partner to the developing countries. This bedrock of China’s foreign policy has not and will never change.

According to the traditional Chinese calendar, every 60 years form a cycle. That brings Asian-African cooperation of 60 years to a new starting point. The past six decades saw China and countries in Asia and Africa stand together, rain or shine, with a relationship that flows as vigorous as the mighty Yangtze, Solo and Nile rivers. Looking ahead, we should carry forward the Bandung Spirit and make our dream for rejuvenated Asia and Africa come true. In so doing, we can bring more benefits to our people and contribute more to the lofty cause of peace and development for mankind.

 

Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran

The commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the historical Bandung Conference, which coincides with the tenth anniversary of the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership, is indeed a unique opportunity to pay homage to the founders of this valuable initiative – an initiative which prospered within the framework of the Non-Aligned Movement and resulted in the voices of South Countries to be heard at international level and in improvement of their role as an influential force in establishing international peace, security and development, and for the first time, the fight against colonialism and racism was clearly inscribed on the agenda of the international community.

Although at present era the world has undergone enormous changes, the Bandung principles and values should remain on the agenda of global diplomacy. Let’s not allow Bandung cry to fade away in the corridors of profit-seeking politics. Let’s not allow Bandung principles and values to be undermined. Let’s not allow violence, aggression, terrorism and extremism to spread easily all across the world and shed the blood of the innocents.

Terrorism and extremism are now widespread in many parts of Asia and Africa. Extremist terrorists, particularly in Iraq and Syria and some African countries, resort to the most barbaric methods to kill innocent women, men and children on a daily basis for their own vicious and anti-human political interest and to destroy the infrastructure of these countries. Extremists enjoy the intelligence, logistic and financial support of some regional and international players to achieve their illegitimate goals; this is while, their sponsors ignore the fact that the continuation of instability in the crisis-hit areas will bring insecurity throughout the whole world including their own countries.

Continued crises and conflicts which have been intensified with foreign military intervention have created humanitarian catastrophe in the crisis-hit areas.

The present unfortunate conditions in Yemen and Syria are clear examples of this situation. History has demonstrated that military intervention is not a proper response to these crises and will instead exacerbate the situation. We believe that sustainable peace can prevail if military intervention is ceased and proper conditions are prepared for talks and dialogue among all political groups. We remind the international community of its grave responsibility in this respect.

Along the same line, the policy of occupation and expansion undertaken by the aggressive Zionist regime, executed through physical and structural violence, has led to systematic and massive violation of the rights of Palestinians. This constitutes a serious threat to regional and international peace and security.

History shows that conflict and insecurity creates poverty and underdevelopment. This is an important challenge facing the developing and the least developed countries. In spite of national efforts to alleviate and eradicate poverty, development cooperation has yet to achieve the desired level of economic development in the poor countries.

Moreover, the developed countries have either failed to fulfill or conditionalized their international commitments in the areas of financing and technology transfer. The international economic and financial architecture also suffers from structural weaknesses. This has prevented effective participation of the developing countries in the major decision making processes of these organizations.

We still are far from a multilateral, rule-based, non-discriminatory and inclusive financial and trade system, in favor of assisting increased investment, development and sustainable employment in developing and the least developed countries. Therefore, structural reforms in this system are quite necessary. Non-discriminatory participation of all countries in international and regional financial and banking institutions and processes is an indispensible part of this structural reform.

Multilateralism is another Bandung Conference principle which is also a significant human achievement in the fight against arrogant unilateralism. Resort to coercive measures such as the imposition of economic sanctions against independent states is a manifestation of such an attitude. The illegal and unjust sanctions against the peaceful nuclear program of the Islamic Republic of Iran are a prime example of this dangerous approach.

Inspired by the principles of Bandung Conference and Islamic precepts, we will try, at this stage, to promote regional cooperation and interactions among neighbors in order to strengthen peace, tranquility and stability as prelude to economic development and eradication of poverty and underdevelopment.

Under such a framework, the Islamic Republic of Iran is prepared to strike partnership with its neighbors including its Arab neighbors. In this respect, we emphasize on the establishment of regional peace to stop killing and bloodshed in Yemen and other countries of the region, as in the new international order, cooperation and partnership are fundamental.

As the Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, I have the privilege and the honor to say how satisfying it is to be present in this summit meeting. This Movement, as the biggest diplomatic achievement of recent decades, believes that the strong foundation of this strategic partnership led to the strengthening of Asian African countries and other developing areas in many fields and enabled them to play a more important role at international level. Considering the current conditions of the world politics, it is now our duty to realize the Bandung principles in action. On such a basis, we need to accelerate and strengthen the link and cohesion between Asia and Africa.

 

Cyril Ramaphosa, Deputy President of South Africa

The year 2015 marks the confluence of both the 60th anniversary of the spirit of Bandung and the adoption of South Africa’s premier document, the Freedom Charter, and the 70th anniversary of the United Nations.

60 years ago in 1955, as the shackles of colonialism were being cast off, the founding fathers of our liberation movements of Africa and Asia convened in Bandung. They gathered here in Indonesia to reflect on the role of emerging nations in securing peace in the global arena, achieving economic development, and assigning colonialism and racism to the dustbin of history.

The core principles of the spirit of the Bandung Conference were political self-determination, mutual respect for sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs and equality. While we celebrate that much of the noble ideals of Bandung have been accomplished, we must guard against complacency. The spirit of Bandung remains unrealized until we universally eradicate poverty, underdevelopment, inequality, extremism and racial and gender discrimination.

South Africa’s international relations philosophy is premised on the principles of the Freedom Charter launched on 26 June 1955 by the African National Congress, a few months after the return of our two delegates from the Bandung Conference. Our Freedom Charter demands that “There shall be peace and friendship”.

The plight of the Palestinian people remains a blight on our collective conscience. It is incumbent that we redouble our efforts to bring peace to that troubled Holy Land and have two independent and viable states of Palestine and Israel existing in peace with each other and with the whole world.

This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the formation of the United Nations. As we observe this milestone, the world remains confronted by the challenges of unequal development and conflict in many regions and within states. A further challenge is that the multilateral financial and political institutions remain untransformed.

In this connection, South Africa adds its voice to the calls made at this historic gathering to fast-track the transformation of the global governance system. This particularly applies to the United Nations Security Council. We need to reflect on the importance of an inclusive, transparent, reformed, strengthened, and effective multilateral system that is able to better address the urgent global challenges of sustainable development today.

The reform that urgently needs to be implemented must reflect the realities of the new global paradigm.

Let me once again express our sincere gratitude to the Government and People of Indonesia for your hospitality during our time here. I also wish to extend a personal word of gratitude to President Joko Widodo, for his visionary leadership in convening this special occasion.

I commend you on this great initiative, which is testament once more of the strong solidarity that exists between the Governments and People of Africa and Asia.

Long Live the Spirit of Bandung. Long Live the Africa – Asia Solidarity!

 

Jorge Arreaza, Vice President of Venezuela (Abridged from TeleSUR English)

The third world countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America should form an alliance in order to “end imperialist domination,” according to the Venezuelan vice-president, Jorge Arreaza. Arreaza made the proposal for a third world alliance during a speech at the Asian-African Summit in Indonesia in April. Speaking as a special Latin American representative, Arreaza told the audience that the alliance was necessary to overthrow imperialism and end the unipolar system imposed on southern nations throughout the years. “The alliance between Asia, Africa and Latin America today is not only necessary, it is indispensable,” said Arreaza. “From the South, we will determine, freely, the future of the world for the people.” The vice president also reminded the audience that former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez also advocated strongly for a need for the three continents to unite in order to fight against harmful western policies and forms of control.   “Today is not, as then, simply about not being aligned with power and a sphere of influence. Today, the challenge is much greater… That is, to not be aligned with injustice, … and to fight against wars, disrespect for international law, and to fight against colonialism in all its forms, combat hunger, to not be aligned with discrimination nor domination in all its forms,” said Arreaza.   As an example of third world unity, Arreaza reiterated Venezuela’s solidarity with Palestine, which has experienced significant oppression under Israel’s expansionist policies.

 

Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister of India

This Summit is a tribute to the momentous Bandung Conference which arose out of the meeting of minds of the visionary leaders of Asia and Africa. The Bandung Conference itself inherited the mantle of the Asian Relations Conference of 1947 and the Conference of Asian and African Nations of 1949. These meetings had crystallized the ethos and values of our two continents. In the last 60 years the Bandung spirit has remained a source of inspiration for the leaders of Asia and Africa in their quest for world peace and cooperation.

Let me take this opportunity to share my thoughts on five issues faced by Asia and Africa today. I firmly believe that we all need to work together on these issues in this century.

First, Development: Although the pace of socio-economic development in Asia and Africa has acquired momentum, huge infrastructural investments are required to make food and energy accessible to all. We shall need to adapt technologies, increase efficiencies and introduce innovations. Given our similar developmental needs we have much to learn from each other in meeting our developmental goals.

Second, Security: The rise of extremist violence and terrorism has been one of the most disturbing security phenomena and several parts of our two continents are victim to a medley of terrorist groups. The ISIS has emerged as a cause of grave concern in the last year. We must be resolute in countering this scourge that challenges our civilization.

Third, Capacity Building: Education and skills are vital to provide gainful employment and make our population contributing elements of society. India, Africa and several Asian countries are young countries which need more attention to the capacity building approach. The Bandung Conference underscored the need for developing countries to reduce their economic dependence on the industrialized nations by providing technical assistance to one another. As we commemorate the 60th anniversary of that Conference we need to once again pledge to strengthen our technical and economic cooperation.

Fourth, Maritime dimension: Maritime security is a matter of concern. We have worked together to combat piracy in the Malacca Straits and the Gulf of Aden, yet the threat remains due to political instability, poverty and lack of development in parts of our region. The Indian Ocean’s importance as an active trade route will grow in the future. As we embark upon the concept of Blue Economy as a new pillar of development, it becomes even more important to secure our seas.

Fifth, New global order: The Bandung spirit for a just and equitable order continues. Asia and Africa are both in consonance to reorder international institutions and reform the UN and its Security Council as also other institutions, where our voices are not being heard. We need more cohesive action on this and India is ready to play its due role in the new world order.

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