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BEIJING: Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates this week, Beijing’s foreign ministry said on Monday.

From September 10 to 13, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council will travel to Saudi Arabia to chair the Fourth Meeting of the High-Level Chinese-Saudi Joint Committee and visit Saudi Arabia and the UAE, ministry spokesman Mao Ning said.

China, an oil producer itself, has long imported crude from the Middle East, where it has sought to expand its influence in recent years.

Last year, it facilitated a historic rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

China has also positioned itself as a more neutral actor on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than its rival the US, advocating for a two-state solution while maintaining good ties with Israel.

Beijing has pointed to the Middle East as a key node in its Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, a central pillar of leader Xi Jinping’s bid to expand his country’s clout overseas.