Xi Jinping personally advanced head-of-state diplomacy, setting the direction of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, Ma Zhaoxu, vice minister and member of the CPC Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a press conference on Thursday.

Shen Beili, vice minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, also took questions at the conference held on the topic "Under the Guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, Forge Ahead and Strive to Break New Ground for Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics."