Over the past decade since the 18th CPC National Congress, China has made groundbreaking historical achievements in diplomatic arena and carried out major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics on all fronts.

A news conference on China's diplomatic work was held by Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu and Vice-Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee Guo Yezhou in Beijing on Thursday.

Here are some key takeaways from the news conference.

Fruitful head-of-state diplomacy

During the past decade, President Xi Jinping has made 42 overseas trips to 69 countries on five continents. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi has held 181 talks over the phone with leaders of states and international organizations and attended 78 international events via video links.