Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries are visiting Beijing for meetings with officials from the world's second-largest economy, a major oil consumer and source of foreign investment, AP writes.

The meetings, which will last until Friday, will be attended by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, as well as the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that China and the Persian Gulf countries gave each other strong support in matters concerning their core interests and promoted practical cooperation in various fields with fruitful results.