President Xi Jinping has urged China's diplomatic envoys to stay on the alert and not submit to Western power as they defend national interests overseas.

Addressing diplomats gathered in Beijing on Friday, Xi said ambassadors and overseas-based officials must tell China stories well and win more friends.

"It is necessary to ... resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, with an attitude of readiness to fight and a firm will to defy strong powers," state news agency Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.

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The call comes amid an ideological and geopolitical feud between China and the United States and its allies.

It also comes a day after top Communist Party leaders, officials and diplomats attending a foreign policy meeting in Beijing vowed to further raise China's "international influence, appeal and power", and stand firm against "bullying" and "hegemonism" from the West.

Addressing the Central Conference on Foreign Affairs Work that concluded on Thursday, Xi had urged Chinese diplomats and cadres to "break new ground", "rally the overwhelming majority" of the world and adhere to the "fighting spirit".

On Friday, he said "escalating oppression and containment of China by external forces" in recent years had posed "special challenges for diplomatic work" and tested China's envoys.

Describing Chinese envoys as defenders of national interests, Xi said they should make good use of multilateral mechanisms and rules to gain understanding and support from the global community.

"[The envoys] must be good at making friends widely and deeply, and winning people's hearts and minds should be done during official occasions and also deeply among the masses," he said.

"They should also use international language and methods to tell China stories well, connect China with other countries, and connect history with modern times, so as to enable the world to better understand China in the new era."

Pang Zhongying, a chair professor of international political economy at Sichuan University, said there was some ambiguity in the official wording, making it hard to assess if there was a change in foreign policy.

However, the emphasis on tensions and "bullying" could mean continued strains in China's relationship with the West, Pang said.