Photo taken on April 15, 2014 shows a view of the conference hall of the Asian-African Conference (Bandung Conference) in 1955 in Bandung, Indonesia. (Xinhua/He Changshan)

　　At a critical crossroads where power politics and unilateralism undermine international norms and breed division and confrontation, revisiting the Bandung Spirit offers inspiration toward global unity, cooperation and progress.

　　JAKARTA, April 23 (Xinhua) -- In April 1955, a landmark conference in Indonesia's city of Bandung gathered 29 Asian and African nations under the flag of solidarity, friendship and cooperation, marking the awakening of the part of the world later known as the Global South.

　　Seventy years on, the Bandung Spirit lives on and is being carried forward. Today, making up over 40 percent of the world's economy and 80 percent of global growth, the Global South has become a vital driving force for world peace, development and governance.

　　At a critical crossroads where power politics and unilateralism undermine international norms and breed division and confrontation, revisiting the Bandung Spirit offers inspiration toward global unity, cooperation and progress.

　　BREAK CHAINS

　　After World War II, European colonial powers witnessed waning global influence as dozens of Asian and African nations won independence. Refusing to be drawn into the Cold War rivalry, these newly-independent countries sought a third way -- non-alignment and cooperation.

　　In 1954, Indonesia proposed hosting an Asian-African Conference to promote solidarity among newly independent and developing nations. Rebuffing fierce opposition from imperialist powers, the summit went successfully in Bandung in April 1955.