President Xi Jinping arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday on a visit Beijing hailed as its biggest diplomatic initiative in the Arab world.

Xi was met on arrival by the governor of Riyadh, the kingdom's foreign minister and the governor of sovereign wealth fund PIF, complete with a 21-gun salute.

President Xi will attend the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council summit which will be "an epoch-making milestone in the history of the development of China-Arab relations", foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

Beijing hopes it will make a strong statement on strengthening "unity and cooperation", Mao added.

Last month, in a message to the Arab League Summit, Xi had said China is willing to work with Arab countries to enhance mutual support and expand cooperation in a joint effort to build a China-Arab community with a shared future for the new era, so as to create a bright future for China-Arab relations and make contributions to world peace and development.

Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said on Wednesday that Riyadh would remain a "trusted and reliable" energy partner for Beijing and that the two countries would boost cooperation in energy supply chains by establishing a regional centre in the kingdom for Chinese factories.

The Chinese delegation is expected to sign deals worth US$30 billion with Riyadh, Saudi state media had said. (Agencies)