JEDDAH: Chinese President Hu Jintao will visit Saudi Arabia next week, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing announced yesterday. He will hold talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and senior Saudi officials on expanding Saudi-Chinese relations.

This is Hu’s second visit to the Kingdom in less than three years. The two countries signed defense, security and trade agreements when he visited Riyadh in April 2006. He also discussed with Saudi officials plans for a $5.2 billion refinery and petrochemical project in China.

During his Feb. 10-17 foreign tour, the Chinese president will also visit four African countries — Mali, Senegal, Tanzania and Mauritius, the Foreign Ministry. The trip would “expand mutual cooperation and push common development,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu in a news briefing.

Saudi Arabia is China’s largest trading partner in West Asia and North Africa, while China is Kingdom’s fourth largest trading partner. In the first quarter of 2008, Saudi-China trade registered a year-on-year increase of 77.4 percent to reach $8.5 billion. Saudi Arabia had sent relief supplies when China was hit by a massive earthquake last year. Abdullah telephoned President Hu to offer his sympathy and condolences to the Chinese government and people. “The gesture embodied the profound friendship of the king, the Saudi Arabian government and its people toward the Chinese people,” a Chinese official said.

Hu spoke highly of Abdullah, who attaches importance to China-Saudi Arabia relations, and his achievement toward the development of bilateral ties. “We always treat Saudi Arabia as a sincere and reliable friend and partner,” he said in an official statement.

“China is willing to work together with Saudi Arabia to constantly strengthen mutual cooperation in various fields to push the China-Saudi Arabia friendly strategic and cooperative relations to a higher level,” the president said.

Vice President Xi Jinping visited the Kingdom in June 2008 and met with King Abdullah and senior Cabinet members. Xi then told a Saudi-Chinese business meeting that, “The situation is favorable for further growth of economic cooperation in diverse fields between the Kingdom and China.”