Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran next week, the official Xinhua news agency reported, as the world’s second-largest economy seeks greater diplomatic ties.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran next week, the official Xinhua news agency reported, as the world's second-largest economy seeks greater diplomatic ties.

Citing a statement from the foreign ministry, Xinhua said Xi would visit the three Middle Eastern countries over five days starting from Tuesday.