From Asian-African Solidarity to a Community of Common Destiny: An Evolving Chinese Perspective of the International Legal Order

On the seventieth anniversary of the Bandung Asian-African Conference (Bandung Conference)—the first gathering of the leaders of Asian and African countries in history—the legacy of that historical event and its continued relevance in today’s world present interesting questions for study. The significance of the Bandung Conference undoubtedly lies in its ushering in the Non-Aligned Movement in international politics and related developments such as the “New International Economic Order” of the 1960s and 1970s. 1 From a policy perspective, the Ten Principles announced at the end of the Bandung Conference (Bandung Principles) have defined Third World values in post-war international relations. This essay argues that the perspective of the People’s Republic of China (China or PRC) with regard to international law has been influenced to a considerable extent by the Bandung Principles. As a conference participant, China endorsed the outcome. Its view of the international legal order has evolved during the intervening years; indeed, it was only in 1971 that China took back its rightful seat in the UN system and began to engage with the international community at all levels. Bandung has nonetheless remained a referent throughout its rise to the status of a major world power. Tracing the evolution of Bandung’s influence on China, and vice versa, is meaningful, given that the international order is presently facing existential challenges of climate change, pandemics, and rifts in interstate relations.