According to Saudi official media, Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for a three-day visit, his first to the world's largest crude oil exporter since 2016.

The visit will involve a bilateral summit led by Saudi King Salman and attended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

The state news agency reported that Xi, the leader of the world's second-largest economy, will also attend a summit with leaders from the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council as well as meetings with other Middle Eastern leaders.

The presence of the Chinese leader comes with heightened tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United States on issues ranging from regional security to energy policy.

In October, the OPEC+ oil bloc agreed to reduce production by two million barrels per day, which the White House characterized as "aligning with Russia" on the Ukraine conflict.

On Sunday, OPEC+ decided to maintain these cuts.

China is Saudi Arabia's largest buyer of crude oil, accounting for nearly a quarter of Saudi oil exports.

Beyond energy, analysts predict that officials from the two nations would discuss prospective deals that might involve Chinese corporations in megaprojects that are essential to Crown Prince Mohammed's plan to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil.

The last time Xi visited Saudi Arabia was in 2016, the year before Mohammed bin Salman became heir apparent, during a journey that included stops in Egypt and Saudi adversary Iran.

In March of 2017, King Salman also toured China and met with Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

During his Asia tour in 2019, Crown Prince Mohammed visited China and met with President Xi.