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 Their calls came at the opening of a meeting of Asian and African
nations in Jakarta to mark the 60th anniversary of a conference that
made a developing-world stand against colonialism and led to the
Cold War era's non-aligned movement.
Among the leaders listening were Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who were expected to meet on the
sidelines of the conference, the latest sign of a thaw in relations
between the Asian rivals.
Sino-Japanese ties have chilled in recent years due to feuds over
the two neighbors' wartime past, as well as territorial rows and
regional rivalry. Bilateral talks in Jakarta on Wednesday could
promote a cautious rapprochement that began when Abe and Xi met at a
summit in Beijing late last year.
Abe, in an apparent reference to China's growing military
assertiveness, told the conference that the use of force by the
"mightier" should never go unchecked.
The Japanese prime minister also said Japan had pledged, "with
feelings of deep remorse over the past war", to adhere to principles
such as refraining from acts of aggression and settling
international disputed by peaceful means.
It was not immediately clear if the remarks would satisfy China's
desire for Japan to acknowledge its wartime past, but a Japanese
official told Reuters Abe and Xi would meet.
Xi had earlier told the conference that "a new type of international
relations" was needed to encourage cooperation between Asian and
African nations, and said the developed world had an obligation to
support the rest with no political strings attached, the Xinhua news
agency said.
NEW WORLD ORDER
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, the conference host, said those
who still insisted that global economic problems could only be
solved through the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and Asian
Development Bank were clinging to "obsolete ideas".
"There needs to be change," he said. "It's imperative that we build
a new international economic order that is open to new emerging
economic powers."
The IMF and World Bank were at the center of the post-World War Two
monetary order created by the United States and Europe at the
Bretton Woods Conference in New Hampshire in 1944.
Widodo made no mention of the China-backed Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank (AIIB) that is seen as a competitor to the
Western-dominated World Bank and Asian Development Bank, but
Indonesia is one of nearly 60 countries that have offered to be
founding members of the AIIB.
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The United States and Japan have not thrown their support behind the
bank, which is viewed as a threat to U.S. efforts to extend its
influence in the Asia-Pacific region and balance China's growing
financial clout.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe told the conference that Asian
and African countries "should no longer be consigned to the role of
exporters of primary goods and importers of finished goods".
He called it a "role that has historically been assigned to us by
the colonial powers and starting from the days of colonialism".
Indonesia invited heads of state and government from 109 Asian and
African countries, but according to a conference official, 21
leaders turned up, which commentators have said shows the group is
no longer relevant.
The world order has changed dramatically since nearly 30 heads of
state gathered in 1955 in the Indonesian town of Bandung to discuss
security and economic development away from global powers embroiled
in the Cold War.
Together they accounted for less than a quarter of global economic
output at that time, but today they contribute to more than half of
the world economy. Many of the Bandung countries, such as China and
India, are now themselves at top tables like the Group of 20 and
wield significant economic power.
Widodo said the group may be meeting in a changed world but still
needed to stand together against the domination of "a certain group
of countries" to avoid unfairness and global imbalances.
(Writing by John Chalmers; Additional reporting by Kanupriya Kapoor
and Nicholas Owen; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Alex
Richardson)
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