Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi briefed the media Monday on China's foreign policies and diplomatic relations at a press conference held on the sidelines of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing.

During the press conference, which went on for nearly two hours, Wang answered 27 questions, covering a wide variety of topics, ranging from the Ukraine crisis, bilateral and multilateral relations with other countries, to some regional hotspot issues.

The most frequently addressed words at this year's press conference are "cooperation," "development," "peace" and "security," according to CGTN's analysis on word frequency.

In his opening remarks, Wang said the year ahead is full of challenges as both the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis are yet to end. Countries need solidarity, not division; dialogue, not confrontation at such a critical moment, he said.

CGTN summarized the media's questions from 2017 until this year in the following graphic. 

Four questions were related to the Ukraine crisis. Wang called for calmness and rationality in resolving the Ukraine crisis, stressing that disputes must be settled through dialogue, negotiation and peaceful means. As the situation in Ukraine became more intense, China promised to continue playing a constructive role in facilitating Russia-Ukraine talks.

"China is prepared to continue playing a constructive role to facilitate dialogue for peace and work alongside the international community when needed to carry out necessary mediation," Wang said, adding that the more tense the situation, the more important that the talks continue.

Bilateral relations such as China-U.S. and China-EU were the main focus of the press conference. Wang urged to bring China-U.S. relations back on the right track and emphasized dialogue and cooperation between China and the EU.

China and the U.S. must replace the "competitive-collaborative-adversarial" trichotomy with the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, Wang said.

Noting that China-Europe cooperation is rooted in solid public support, extensive common interests and similar strategic needs, Wang said that no force can reverse the cooperation.