Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday appreciated foreign journalists who stayed back and worked non-stop to show the world the Chinese people's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Wang made the remarks during a media conference held via video link on the sidelines of the fourth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing.

Wang said China welcomed more foreign journalists like Edgar Snow, who stayed truthful and objective and stood by justice and conscience when reporting on China.

"Snow was not a communist. Yet when looking at the CPC, he devoted his life to enhancing mutual understanding between Chinese and American peoples with admirable professionalism and moral ethics."

Terming the media an "important bridge that helps countries communicate and understand one another," Wang said China needed to better understand the world, and the world needed to better understand China.

In the face of changes in global environment, the media should uphold professional ethics. 

"I hope that foreign journalists will not use 'beauty cams' or apply 'gray filters' to their cameras when reporting on China," he said, adding that "truthful, objective and fair" reporting stood the test of times.