Full coverage: 2017 NPC & CPPCC Sessions

(Source: CGTN)

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ensured foreign media that China will continue to be an anchor of international stability, an engine of global growth, a champion of peace and development, and a contributor to global governance during an international press conference in Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi answers questions on China's foreign policy and foreign relations at a press conference for the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Cui Xinyu)

Foreign Minister Wang Yi answered questions from foreign media on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress. Wang Yi said that China's relationship with the United States is steadily transitioning in a positive direction, and that the two nations could become excellent partners.

"Firstly, we need to rise above the difference in our social systems. China and the United States have chosen different systems and development paths. The Chinese people have great confidence in their own social system and path. And we welcome efforts to build a better United States. Secondly, we need to rise above the zero-sum mentality. China and the United States have a growing set of common interests. In many ways, our interests are closely intertwined," Wang said.

China has proposed a dual-track approach to defusing the looming crisis on the Korean Peninsula -- denuclearizing the peninsula on the one hand and establishing a peace mechanism on the other.

Wang Yi said the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula is mainly between the DPRK and the United States, but China, as a next-door neighbor is an indispensable party to the resolution of the issue.

Wang Yi also said China will never allow the hard-won stability in the South China Sea to be disrupted again.

This year, China will hold the Belt and Road Forum for international cooperation and the 9th BRICS Summit. China-US relations, the Korean Peninsula situation, and the South China Sea Issue will likely shape the country's diplomatic outlook in 2017.