China's Communist Party has recruited a network of "friends" from around the world to support its positions on key issues, including the South China Sea, a top official revealed over the weekend.

"The [party] has been making friends from far and wide, many of whom have become confidants," said the International Department's vice-minister, Guo Yezhou, in a statement handed out at a press conference on the sidelines of the National Party Congress at the weekend.