In April 2015, the Indonesian city of Bandung -- once called the "Paris of Java" -- witnessed a moment where the past and present converged.

From the 19th-century Savoy Homann Hotel, leaders of nearly 100 nations set out toward the Independence Building, retracing the footsteps of a generation that had defied colonial domination six decades earlier.

At the head of the procession walked Xi and then Indonesian President Joko Widodo. It was a living echo of the 1955 Bandung Conference, the first meeting of Asian and African nations free of colonial powers, now hailed as a landmark event in the rise of the Global South.

Through perseverance and huge sacrifice, emerging markets and developing countries have succeeded in gaining independence and shaking off the yoke of colonialism. These nations have been seeking development paths tailored to their own national circumstances rather than following models imposed by the outside. "Everything we do is to deliver better lives to our people," Xi once said.

Driven by Xi's global vision, the legacy born in Bandung is quickly becoming a reality, where developing nations speak not as isolated voices but as a united force.

The historic expansion of BRICS and the creation of forums linking China with Africa, Latin America, the Arab world and ASEAN all bear Xi's imprint, offering the Global South channels to coordinate and amplify their say in global affairs.