Chinese President Xi Jinping is going to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Thursday for a two-day state visit amid high tensions between the two countries, according to a source with knowledge of the trip, an Arab diplomatic source and a senior Arab official.
According to the three sources, Xi's trip to Riyadh will include a China-Arab summit and a China-GCC conference.
At least 14 Arab heads of state are expected to attend the China-Arab summit, according to the Arab diplomatic source who described the trip as a milestone for Arab-Chinese relations.
Sources said they were not authorized to speak to the media because of the condition of anonymity.
There has not been an official announcement that Xi will visit Saudi Arabia. CNN reached out to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.
Last week the Saudi government sent out registration forms for reporters to cover the summit, but they didn't confirm the exact dates. Saudi government did not respond to CNN's request for information about Xi's visit and planned summits.
Reports of the long-awaited visit come against the backdrop of a number of disagreements harbored by the US toward both Beijing and Riyadh, which to Washington s dismay have only solidified ties in recent years.
In October, the US and Saudi Arabia were embroiled in a heated dispute over oil production after the Saudi-led oil cartel OPEC cut output by two million barrels per day in an effort to stabilize prices. Despite heavy US campaigning against it, the decision was taken.
Saudi Arabia has become bitter over its perceived waning US security presence in the region, due to growing threats from Iran and its armed Yemeni proxies, a strong US ally for eight long decades.
China is an economic mammoth in the east, and China has been in a fight with the US over Taiwan, which US President Joe Biden has repeatedly pledged to protect if China attacks. The thorny topic has exacerbated a precarious relationship between Washington and Beijing, who are already competing for influence in the volatile Middle East.
As American allies in the Arab Gulf accuse Washington of falling behind on its security guarantees in the region, China has strengthened its ties with Gulf monarchies, as well as US enemies Iran and Russia.
China and Saudi Arabia have taken different positions towards the West in regards to the Ukraine war. Both have resisted endorsing sanctions on Russia, and Riyadh has repeatedly maintained that Moscow is a key energy-producing partner that must be consulted on OPEC decisions. Following last month's massive oil cut, some US officials accused Saudi Arabia of siding with Russia and aiding President Vladimir Putin with his war on Ukraine.
Saudi officials have denied either weaponizing oil or siding with Russia.
In October, Biden said that the US had to rethink its relationship with Saudi Arabia, which the President had tried to repair in a July visit to Riyadh. Biden flew to Riyadh amid global oil shortages and greeted bin Salman with a fist-bump that made global headlines after he pledged to turn the kingdom into a pariah and condemned crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The ultimately frigid visit did not result in any increases in oil output and only aggravated tensions.