Latest news with #Asia-Africa
Indian Express
27-04-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Bandung Conference at 70: Key facts for UPSC Exam
Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge for the upcoming UPSC civil services exams. Here's the knowledge nugget for today. Relevance: Conferences and declarations of the past are relevant to history and international relations, or to the subject they address. They become vital in current affairs when the topic calls for connecting the dots with the past. ) Why in the news? This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first Asia-Africa summit, which took place in Bandung, Indonesia from April 18 to 24, 1955. Key Takeaways : — Twenty-nine newly independent Asian and African countries came together in a historic gathering. — The conference marked a significant moment for the developing Global South, recently freed from colonial rule. — Held in Bandung (Indonesia), it sparked a new wave of South-South cooperation and solidarity. — The conference served as a precursor to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). — Conveners aimed to chart a new path of sovereign, independent, and collective action. — The goal was to address pressing challenges as newly independent nations. — Participants shared dissatisfaction with their marginalization on the global stage. — The countries signed a 10-point declaration or that co-opted the Five Principles or Panchsheel. A 10-point 'declaration on promotion of world peace and cooperation', called Dasasila Bandung (Bandung's Ten Principles, or Bandung Spirit, or Bandung Declaration) are as following: Respect for fundamental human rights, and for the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations Respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations Recognition of the equality of all races and of the equality of all nations, large and small Abstention from intervention or interference into the internal affairs of another country Respect for the right of each nation to defend itself, singly or collectively, in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations Abstention from the use of arrangement of collective defense to serve the particular interests of any of the big powers, and abstention by any country from exerting pressures on other countries Refraining from acts or threats of aggression or the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any country Settlement of all international disputes by peaceful means, such as negotiation, conciliation, arbitration, or judicial settlement as well as other peaceful means of the parties' own choice, in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations Promotion of mutual interests and cooperation; and Respect for justice and international obligations — Shubhajit Roy, in an Explained article of The Indian Express (2015) wrote: Official records show that the governments of India, erstwhile Burma, Indonesia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka co-sponsored the Bandung conference in 1955, bringing together 24 more nations from Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The Bandung Conference laid the foundation for the non-aligned movement during the Cold War, with leaders of developing countries banded together to avoid being forced to take sides in the Cold War contest. Nehru was at the forefront of this process, which led to the establishment of NAM, and his role has been hailed and recognised globally. — Anil Sooklal, South African High Commissioner to India, wrote in The Indian Express: The reluctance and continued hegemonic actions by the former colonial overlords and other Western powers in their interactions with countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America served as a key factor in bringing the leaders together. For South Africa, the Bandung Conference was a critical platform to bring global attention to the oppressive apartheid regime that governed the country through White minority rule. The African National Congress (ANC), the foremost liberation organisation championing the freedom of the country both within and internationally, sent two delegates to the conference —Moses Kotane and Maulvi Chachalia — to lobby support internationally for South Africa's freedom struggle. The core principles that catalysed the coming together of Asian and African leaders are as relevant today as they were in 1955. These included political independence, mutual respect for sovereignty, non-aggression and non-interference in internal affairs. BEYOND THE NUGGET: Panchsheel & The Brioni Declaration According to an Explained article of The Indian Express, — What China calls the Five Principles is known in India as Panchsheel, which was a key aspect of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's vision of the world and the relations between nations and neighbours. — India attained Independence from the British in 1947 after several decades of nationalist struggle. Two years later, the Chinese communists emerged victorious in the civil war, and Mao Zedong pronounced the People's Republic of China. Nehru was keen to establish good relations with China based on trust and mutual respect, and the Chinese appeared to reciprocate, at least initially. — In 1954, while inaugurating bilateral talks between India and China over Tibet, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai proposed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which was favoured by Nehru. — The word Panchsheel traces its origin to the Buddhist concept of Pañcaśīla, which describes the five moral vows of Buddhism: abstinence from murder, theft, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants. The Panchsheel Agreement, formally titled The Agreement on Trade and Intercourse with the Tibet Region, was signed on April 29, 1954, by N. Raghavan, India's Ambassador to China, and Zhang Han-Fu, China's Foreign Minister. The agreement's preamble laid down five guiding principles, known as the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence: 1. Mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty 2. Mutual non-aggression 3. Mutual non-interference in internal affairs 4. Equality and mutual benefit 5. Peaceful coexistence The aim was to boost trade and cooperation between India and China. It included: Significantly, India formally recognized Tibet as the Tibet Region of China for the first time under this agreement. The Bandung Conference (1955) marked a pivotal moment in post-colonial global diplomacy. It became the precursor to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) —a collective of nations that chose to remain independent from the Cold War blocs led by the United States and the Soviet Union. NAM was officially founded with the Brioni (Brijuni) Declaration on July 19, 1956, signed by: The declaration, signed on the Brioni Islands (now in Croatia), stated: 'Peace cannot be achieved via division, but via striving for collective security on the global scale… by the expansion of the area of freedom, as well as through the ending of domination of one country over another.' At the first NAM Summit in Belgrade, the Panchsheel principles were adopted as the movement's core philosophy.
Indian Express
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Opinion 70 years on, principles of Bandung Conference can guide Global South
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first Asia-Africa summit, which took place in Bandung, Indonesia from April 18 to 24, 1955. Twenty-nine newly independent Asian and African countries met in what was a historical gathering of the leaders of the developing south, recently freed from the devastation brought upon their countries by the ravages of colonial rule. Bandung was to set in motion a new wave of south-south cooperation and solidarity and served as the precursor of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The conveners of the conference were driven by the common goals of seeking to chart a new course of sovereign, independent and collective action in addressing the most pressing challenges as newly independent, developing nations dissatisfied with being at the margins of the global stage. The reluctance and continued hegemonic actions by the former colonial overlords and other Western powers in their interactions with countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America served as a key factor in bringing the leaders together. For South Africa, the Bandung Conference was a critical platform to bring global attention to the oppressive apartheid regime that governed the country through White minority rule. The African National Congress (ANC), the foremost liberation organisation championing the freedom of the country both within and internationally, sent two delegates to the conference —Moses Kotane and Maulvi Chachalia — to lobby support internationally for South Africa's freedom struggle. The core principles that catalysed the coming together of Asian and African leaders are as relevant today as they were in 1955. These included political independence, mutual respect for sovereignty, non-aggression and non-interference in internal affairs. All the above principles echo the common resolve of leaders to work in cooperation and partnership in upholding and defending a rules-based global order underpinned by the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. However, the rules-based multilateral system is under siege. There is a major trust deficit especially among the major powers, contributing to the highly polarised world we live in. 'Might is right' is the ruling mantra of the day. At a time when we need collective action to address the most pressing challenges facing humanity — from climate change to deepening levels of poverty and inequality, protracted conflicts and trade wars — the world is fragmenting into opposing camps. Unfortunately, the architects of the UN system are at the forefront of dismantling the multilateral order. The UN in its current form is no longer fit for purpose. Repeated calls and numerous resolutions aimed at reforming the UN and its institutions have yielded no results. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking on American computer scientist Lex Freidman's podcast recently, noted that 'the international organisations that were created have become almost irrelevant, there is no reform in them. Institutions like the UN cannot play their role. People in the world who do not care about laws and rules are doing everything, no one can stop them.' This paralysis of international organisations is most evident in the UN Security Council (UNSC). In December 1992, the General Assembly created an open-ended working group to review equitable representation in the UNSC. More than three decades later, despite regular meetings, there are still no tangible results. In October 2008, the UN formally launched intergovernmental negotiations on the question of equitable representation and an increase in the membership of the UNSC. After over 15 years of protracted discussions, no progress has been made, nor is there any serious desire on the part of the UNSC's five permanent members to give up their veto. Despite the fact that most of the countries of the Global South were not present at the formation of the UN in June 1945, the leaders of the Bandung Conference recognised the centrality of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and reiterated their commitment to multilateralism and a rules-based global order. The Asia-Africa Summit gave birth to a new paradigm of south-south cooperation. It demonstrated the need for the Global South to work together to champion its collective aspirations on the world stage. Despite Bandung, the subsequent founding of the NAM in 1961 and the G77 in 1964, the Global South continued to be on the margins of global geopolitics and geoeconomics. The economic rise of Global South countries — China, Brazil, India, Indonesia and South Africa, among others — over the past three decades has come with a tectonic change in the geopolitical and economic landscape. South-south cooperation has risen to the fore. This is most evident in the formation of BRICS, which is meant to challenge the political and economic dominance of the north and rebalance global power dynamics. In the current fractured and polarised world, the countries of the Global South have to proactively demonstrate leadership in forging new partnerships and alliances both among themselves as well as with like-minded Global North countries committed to addressing common challenges and shared interests. The Global South has to be at the forefront of shaping the evolving multipolar world to ensure it is focused on a fair, just, inclusive and equitable global community. The architects of Bandung would expect nothing less of us.
Arab News
17-03-2025
- Business
- Arab News
MSC launches service to boost Saudi-East Asia trade
JEDDAH: A new shipping service by Mediterranean Shipping Co. is set to strengthen trade links between Saudi Arabia and key ports in East Asia, bolstering the Kingdom's global logistics network. Saudi Ports Authority, known as Mawani, announced that MSC will launch the new 'Clanga' line at the Jubail Commercial Port, adding that it will strengthen the Kingdom's position in investment and logistics, according to the country's official press agency. The service will connect Jubail Commercial Port with King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, Port of Singapore, and Port of Shanghai in China, as well as Port of Colombo in Sri Lanka, with a handling capacity of up to 6,000 twenty-foot equivalent units. This move is expected to boost foreign investment and improve supply chain efficiency. It also aligns with Mawani's efforts to enhance the competitiveness of Saudi ports and support national exports, as well as the National Transport and Logistics Strategy's goal of establishing the Kingdom as a global logistics hub connecting three continents. Mawani said in a statement that the addition of the service to the Jubail port highlights its strategic role in enhancing maritime transport and logistics while supporting economic activities in the Eastern Province. The authority added that the port's proximity to production hubs, coupled with advanced infrastructure, allows it to accommodate vessels of various types and sizes, further strengthening Saudi Arabia's connectivity with global terminals. As a key facilitator of national exports, particularly industrial and petrochemical products from Jubail Industrial City, the port plays a crucial role in boosting the Kingdom's global trade competitiveness, Mawani emphasized. In August, MSC introduced the service at the King Abdulaziz Port, connecting the city with major terminals in China, including Ningbo, Shanghai, and Shekou, as well as Singapore. Mawani announced at that time that the service would operate weekly voyages with a capacity of up to 15,000 TEU. In a statement, MSC said the service was designed to address terminal congestion issues in the Middle East and enhance connectivity for Asia-Middle East cargo. The shipping company, which won the 'Best Shipping Line – Asia-Africa' award at the 2024 Asian Freight, Logistics, and Supply Chain Awards, further said that Clanga would offer a unique and competitive service for Saudi exports to the Far East through its direct call in Shanghai from Dammam.
